Amnesiacs Anonymous -1 : Phoenix Rising
by Andrew A. Anderson
Summary: The peace created by Lelouch's death has already been broken by the terrorist group, the Dark Phoenixes, the combined remnant of the Geass Directorate and Code-R. Lelouch must learn to face the consequences of bearing a Code and losing his Geass, while fighting for the peace and happiness of the common man once more. Post R-2, follows cannon. Lelouch x C.C.
1. Chapter 1 - Attack at Ashford

...

**A/N:** Greetings and welcome to my new story! This story will serve as a prequel to the Amnesiacs Anonymous story I wrote. If you're here from Amnesiacs Anonymous, welcome back! Hopefully this prequel will explain a lot more. Without further ado, may I introduce you to Amnesiacs Anonymous -1: Phoenix Rising!

This story takes place post-R2 and follows the canon storyline.

...

Chapter 1 - Attack at Ashford

...

"The Emperor has been assassinated! The Emperor is dead! The Emperor has been assassinated! The Emperor is dead!" The voice projecting from the loudspeaker faded away as the procession marched off to proclaim the good news to other parts of the city.

"Well...you did it, Lelouch. It's over, now." C.C. knelt before the altar in the local church. She tried to stop it, but she could not take back the single tear that slowly rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily with her sleeve. It had been centuries since she had allowed herself to cry over someone's death. To her, tears were a sign of emotional weakness, and she was far from weak. Her tears said otherwise.

Lelouch Lamperouge, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, Zero, whatever you want to call him. He was the first and perhaps only person she had ever remembered crying over. Mao didn't count. She had only done so out of pity and regret, and this was out of motherly care. How could such an arrogant schoolboy affect her so much, being the immortal unbreakable witch she was?

Although she never saw it with her own eyes, the video would be all over the internet within the next few hours. The entire scene would be replayed in full on news stations, as if it was an incredible football play highlighted on the sports channels.

"Lelouch! Why didn't you tell us?" Rivalz was pounding on the concrete divider that separated him from the royal procession that had now turned into an impromptu funeral procession.

Suzaku paused in between each word he spoke. To the crowd, he did this for dramatic effect. To himself, he had to choke back a sob in between each difficult word.

"I. Will. Create. A. New. Britannia!" He thrust his bloodied sword high into the air for all to see, the sun gleaming off its tip. Cheers erupted.

"Long live Zero! Long live Zero! Long live Zero!"

Police and medical crews were already on the scene, removing Lelouch's lifeless body from the parade float. Even though he was despised amongst the entire populace, the bloody corpse of an assassinated Emperor lying in the middle of a parade was not the most appealing display to have. The most difficult task in removing him from the procession was taking him from the surprisingly vise-like grasp of his younger sister, Nunnally. She had refused to accept her brother's death as a payment for world peace. Despite her resentment of his deplorable methods for obtaining peace, she still clung to him as the only family she had left. She was the only family he had left as well.

The ambulance slowly pushed its way through the hordes of people who had run onto the streets, celebrating Lelouch's death. The sirens that were a signal to move out of the way did the ambulance no good.

"Eh, no need to rush. He's dead anyway!" The driver tapped idly on the steering wheel then reached down for the soda he had placed in the cup holder.

"Cheers to that." The nurse in the passenger's seat scoffed as she looked down at the dying Britannian Emperor.

Their ambulance arrived at the mortuary quickly. They carried off his body on a stretcher and brought him into an operating room. He was declared dead upon arrival.

...

"During the royal procession a masked man, believed to be Zero of the Black Knights, assassinated the Emperor at close range. The alleged murder weapon was a longsword that authorities also belive to be Zero's.

"The masked assassin dodged the machine gun fire of the Emperor's Knightmare escorts, ran up to the main float, and proceeded to stab the Emperor through the chest. Emergency crews rushed to the site, but upon bringing him to the hospital, he was declared dead on arrival. Empress Nunnally vi Britannia now succeeds her late brother. A moment of silence please, as we mourn the passing of a great leader."

The flatscreen TV clicked and went dark. C.C. whirled around to face whoever turned off her television. Technically, it was Lelouch's TV, but since she practically lived with him for a year, the once solid line that stood between Lelouch's property and C.C.'s property had faded to a near-transparent one.

"I miss him too." It was Kallen. She had changed out of her prisoner's garb into her school uniform, in order to look like a normal student in the Ashford Academy dorms.

"I never said I missed him." That wasn't quite true.

"That doesn't change the fact that you still do." Kallen shrugged. "I can see that you like him. I can see why too."

C.C. scoffed. "Absolutely not. I have had no romantic relations with him at all." That wasn't quite true either.

Kallen shrugged again. "Well, have it your way then. Why did you come back? I mean, this is Lelouch's room, after all."

"I don't exactly have a place to live, so I stayed with him for a bit. I came to pack up the rest of my stuff."

C.C. began walking to Lelouch's room where she grabbed a large suitcase from under the bed. She began systematically taking clothes off of the hangers that hung up in the closet and laying them on the bed.

"So you lived with him too. There's only one bed in his room, though. For two people. Did you guys ever-"

"No!" She threw down her fist in denial. A crunching sound came from it. She looked at her hand curiously and realized she had punched the straitjacket she wore, though she didn't remember it making crunching sounds when she wore it. She picked it up by the hanger and shook it upside-down viciously. A small piece of paper fell out.

"What's that? A note?" Kallen peered over.

"I-I don't know..." C.C. picked up the folded paper. On one side it read:

"Do not open until the time is right."

She turned the paper over to the other side. This side read:

"You will know when the time is right."

She nervously opened the paper. It was a note, addressed to her. The date on the top said it was written yesterday.

_C.C._

_If you are reading this, everything has gone to plan. I am sorry I am unable to give this to you in person, but we both know that it is impossible. I leave this new world to you as a parting gift. I regret that I was unable to complete our contract. In your suitcase under my bed, you will find I have left you a generous sum of money in the form of cash. I hope it will be enough to get you back on your feet. I wish you luck as you search for your new contractee. _

_Lelouch._

"Is there something you would like to tell me?" Kallen looked expectantly at C.C. who folded the piece of paper and pocketed it. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Lelouch planned his death. The whole thing."

"This was all him? The whole time?"

C.C. nodded. "He realized that the people needed something to hate. It is human nature that makes us need to hate something. Lelouch wanted to be the object of everyone's hatred. Once he died, so would hatred."

"Who is pretending to be Zero then?"

"Your classmate, Suzaku Kururugi."

"Impossible! I killed him!"

"Not quite. And he's not pretending to be Zero. He has taken on the full responsibilities of the Zero we both knew."

Kallen paused, taking this all in.

"I'm sorry, but that is the most God-awful stupid-ass plan I have ever heard of! Of all things, why couldn't he just make the current Britannian government the object of hate? Everyone hates them already! Why couldn't he just tell us? Why did he have to die?"

"It wasn't my plan, so don't ask me. I can't say I can blame him for wanting to die, though."

"But you can't die, can you?"

C.C. looked up. "What do you mean, I can't die? Of course I can die."

"No...wait a minute...You're an immortal, aren't you?"

"Wha-what are you talking about?"

"I knew something about you was wrong after we fished out the Gawain from the bottom of the ocean. I saw Lelouch walk into the cave alone, while someone else crashed it into the ocean with Jeremiah! That was you!"

"I have no clue what you are saying."

"You took Jeremiah's Siegfried to the bottom of the ocean with the Gawain! When we examined the wreckage, the entire thing had been crushed into a block of metal! There's no way you could have survived that because the escape mechanism was still attached! You're an immortal!"

C.C. remained silent.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't spread that around. Not many people are aware of that."

"Did he know? Lelouch?"

"Of course he knew. His powers came from mine. I had to save his live too many times for either of us to count. Sometimes, I died instead of him."

"Wow...you must really have a thing for him."

"The only _thing_ I had for him was a contract. It would have caused problems if he died."

"He was supposed to kill you at the end of your contract, wasn't he?"

C.C. still said nothing. Lelouch's letter _did_ say to tell Kallen the plan, so she might as well explain it as well.

"You catch on fast." C.C. plopped onto the bed, dissatisfied that her secrets had been revealed.

"Is that why you gave him powers of the Geass?"

"...yes."

"You should've known it would have killed him first, giving him those powers."

"That was always a possibility."

"Then why did you encourage him to fight Britannia? Why did you give him those powers?"

"Hang on, weren't you fighting Britannia as well? You were a terrorist long before Lelouch even received his Geass. The powers I gave him saved his life on multiple occasions."

"He would've never had to save his life if he wasn't in danger in the first place!"

"Again, what are you trying to say? Weren't you the one with as much reason to destroy Britannia as he? I'm not quite getting your argument."

"I'm saying you are the reason he is dead!"

"You're wrong! And why do you care that I gave him Geass? It was his own plan to sacrifice himself eventually, with or without Geass!"

"Why do I care? Because I loved him too!"

C.C. couldn't help but be surprised. She had known Kallen took up a special interest with Lelouch, but she didn't expect her to scream it at her. Then again, actions spoke louder than words. Kallen had a knack for getting into provocative positions with Lelouch, especially when she was wearing little to nothing, sometimes nothing.

"This is all your fault!"

"Ridiculous!" C.C. was taken aback.

"He was dead the moment you walked into his life! You killed him!"

"That's...not true..."

"Tell me you never loved him."

"What?"

"You said you didn't love him. So tell me again. Tell me you felt nothing for the man you repeatedly sacrificed your life for!"

"I...I don't know..."

"Well you can take your time deciding. He's already dead." Kallen left the room, leaving a confused C.C. sitting on Lelouch's bed.

...

"Uh...hi Kallen..." Rivalz stared awkwardly at Kallen as she walked down the hall. Her firey red hair was spiked in every direction and she wore the key to her Knightmare Frame around her neck as if it were a dainty charm necklace. Gone was the frail schoolgirl who was sick every other week. She was replaced by someone Rivalz didn't think he would ever get used to seeing. It's not every day you get to share school desks with a terrorist.

"So...you'll be taking classes with us again...?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" If looks could kill, Rivalz would have been dead where he stood.

"No, no! Of course not! Problem? No problem! What problem? No problem at all! None!" He was getting quite nervous with this _terrorist _staring him down.

"I know, I look different, but it's who I am. It was really hard putting up a façade all the time, you know?" Kallen laughed.

"Eh...yeah..." Rivalz forced a nervous laugh. "So is your name still Kallen? Or is that made up too?"

"No, I'm still Kallen."

"Ah, at least I won't have to get used to a different name. Where are you going now? I'm headed to the student council room."

"Oh, really? Me too!"

The two walked down the hallway to the student council room. Kallen's new look turned many heads of the students and teachers who knew her. So many celebrities in this school...

"It's quite sad, actually." Rivalz stated.

"What is?"

"A lot of our student council is gone. I mean, it's just us now really. Milly graduated, Nina went off to become a military scientist, Nunnally is the Empress now, Shirley...well...you know. And Suzaku went off to war..." His voice trailed off as he began listing the former council members who had since passed on.

"And Lelouch...can't forget about him."

"No, Rivalz, we certainly can't." Kallen stared out the window in the student council room thoughtfully. She couldn't forget him, even if she tried. The memory of him was burned into her very mind. You can't simply forget about someone like that.

"Ah, so you liked him too?"

"That doesn't matter now."

"I knew it! Well I suppose-"

The clatter of gunfire shattering glass startled both of them and Kallen grabbed Rivalz as she dove for cover.

"Get down!"

"Holy crap!" Rivalz was grabbing his the back of his head as he looked around.

"What the hell was that?" Kallen had her back to one of the pillars that supported the roof of the student council room. The concrete behind her was slowly wearing away as bullets chipped away at the structure. More glass shattered and she could hear the screams of passer-byers.

"I don't know! You're the terrorist here! Can't you do your fighting stuff now?"

"I don't have a gun!"

"Why not?"

"I'm at school, you idiot! Do you expect me to be carrying one all the time?" Rivalz sure could be dense at times. Kallen reached into her pocket and whipped out her phone.

...

C.C. sat on Lelouch's bed, still folding her multitude of clothes. She had her straitjacket, her Black Knights uniform, her other Black Knights uniform, her spare Zero costume, her other Black Knights uniform...

She was now faced with perhaps one of the most difficult decisions in her 700-plus years of living. Did she love Lelouch? At times she thought she did, considering how many times she risked her life for him. Then again, she reasoned, she was just protecting her contractee from dying, because as we all know, that would cause problems.

The shrill ringing of a cellphone interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello, Kallen. I haven't made up my mind about Lelouch, if you're wondering."

"C.C.! Student council room! I need help!"

"Why, have you been caught with your pants down again? You should really carry an extra change of clothes with you from now on." She drolled on.

"That's not funny! Someone is shooting at me! Either you get down here with some weapons or you take the guy out!"

"Take him out? Why are you so incredibly interested with my love life?"

"If I die now, I'll haunt you in my afterlife for the rest of my afterlife!"

"Sounds terrible. I'll see what I can do." She closed the phone.

"Dammit!" Machine gun fire tore up the student council room. Kallen could faintly hear the blaring of a police siren, but she doubted it would make it in time.

"Why is this girl always getting herself in trouble?" C.C. ran down the hallways of Ashford Academy. It wasn't her abnormally green hair that turned heads however. It was the 4-foot long sniper rifle she had strapped to her back.

"Who is that?"

"Is that a gun?"

"Now that's kinda hot."

C.C. ran to the roof of one of the science laboratories. Looking out toward the student council room, she looked amongst the buildings that faced it. She couldn't see the bursts of a muzzle flash, and deduced the assassin must have been using a silencer. A glint of sunlight reflected off the marksman's scope into her eye. She turned her rifle toward the reflection.

"Got you now, you bastard." She whispered to herself as her crosshairs began to line up. Suddenly, he stopped shooting at the council room and turned towards her direction.

"What the-"

The railing she hid behind was blasted to bits as incoming fire rained upon the roof.

"How did he see me? At least he isn't shooting at Kallen now..."

"What are you doing? You're gonna get shot!"

Kallen cautiously peeked out from behind the pillar and looked out the window. She could still hear machine gun fire, but it was not being directed at the building.

"She made it!" She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who made it?"

"A friend."

"One of your terrorist buddies?"

"You could say that. Now let's move."

Kallen grabbed Rivalz by the arm and half-led half-dragged him to another part of the council room. The phone on the wall began to ring.

"Come on...pick up..."

"Hello?"

"Kallen, I'm drawing their fire! Get out of there!"

"Where are you?"

"On top of the lab! Don't go after me, go after him! He's on the roof of the Ashford Library. I'll cover you."

Kallen ran out of the back exit to the student council room. C.C. looked over the battered railing on top of the roof and machine gun fire immediately forced her back down.

"Damn, he's got good aim."

She cautiously peered over the edge, but was once again forced to stay down. In a bold move, C.C. jumped out of her hiding spot and fired off several rounds as suppressing fire causing the gunman in the library to duck down under his own railing. This allowed Kallen to run up the pathway to the library. .

Kallen had reached the top floor and was inside the stairwell that led to the roof. A small hole in the door revealed the rooftop. Kallen bent down and cautiously peered out the small hole. She could clearly see the back of the kneeling gunman. He carried a long assault rifle with a silencer on the barrel. He was dressed in full tactical gear, which must have been near-impossible to sneak past everyone in the library. Kallen drew her pouch knife that she always kept on her person and activated the blade. The lethal point jumped out, ready to serve its owner.

Suddenly, the man whirled around and began firing at the door.

"How did he see-?!"

Bullet holes appeared and sunlight streamed into the dark musty stairwell. More gunfire sounded and the brick wall behind the door in the stairwell began to crack and shatter upon the bullets' impact. All went quiet as the gunfire stopped. A boot rammed into the door, collapsing it onto the floor. Behind it stood the masked gunner. In front of him stood...no one. Kallen was nowhere to be seen.

Kallen crouched above the doorframe, hanging onto a bundle of copper pipes. She raised her knife, ready to strike, but the gunman spun around, as if sensing she was there.

His weapon went up quickly, but Kallen jumped down from her perch, grabbed the barrel end of the weapon, and smashed it into the railing next to them. She bent her arm inwards and drove her elbow into the man's face, causing him to drop the rifle over the rail.

Her knife quickly darted out, slashing the man's jaw, barely missing his jugular. He stumbled back, feeling his injury and at the same time drawing his own knife. He took a wild swing at Kallen, which she barely managed to dodge. The tip of his knife caught on her Knightmare lanyard which dropped from her neck as he slashed through the material.

In an unexpected move, she dropped to the floor and used a sweeping kick to knock the man's legs out from under him. She successfully caught one of his ankles and yanked with all her might. The gunman fell and landed on his backside but the knife remained in his hand. Kallen jumped over the railing onto the floor below, picking up the rifle. She ran back up the stairs, chasing the now-fleeing gunman.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" Kallen had the rifle aimed at the gunman, who was now backing up to the edge of the roof.

"That is irrelevant." he replied flatly.

"How did you get into Ashford without being seen? This is a school! Why did you open fire in a school?"

"Your questions won't help you survive the coming storm. War is coming. This is but the start."

With inhuman speed, the assassin drew a pistol from behind his back and the clap of a gunshot reached her ears. Kallen flinched as she heard the shot, but she was unharmed. The man let go of his knife and dropped to his knees. A bullet had ripped through his back and had come spinning out the front. Blood gushed out of his wound.

"Who are you? Dammit..." The man's eyes glazed over and his breathing stilled.

Kallen's cell phone rang.

"You're welcome."

"C.C.! I was trying to figure out who this guy was! Why did you have to kill him so fast?"

"Ah, forever the ingrate. I saved your life."

"I had him in my sights too!"

"Who was he?"

"I couldn't get him to talk."

Kallen fished around in the man's pockets, hoping for something useful that would give her information. Several minutes later, C.C. appeared in the doorway.

"I think I found something..."

Kallen pulled out an identification tag attached to a lanyard. It had several numbers and a picture, as well as a magnetic strip, most likely used to gain entry to a building.

Kallen read out the text on the tag. "Code-R Research Facility...ever heard of it?"

C.C. froze. Code-R was the science division of the Britannian military that was devoted to performing experiments on a certain green-haired immortal. After a long pause, she finally turned to Kallen.

"Yes, I have heard of it. I was a part of it."

"You were?"

"Not in the way you'd imagine. Code-R was a secret R&D division of the Britannian military. They experimented on me, in hopes of harnessing the power of my immortality for themselves. After they were shutdown, I don't know what became of them. Apparently, they're still out there. But that's odd..."

"What's odd?"

"The crest. The symbol on the tag. It's not the Code-R insignia. It's the symbol of the Geass Order."

"That's impossible...we destroyed the Geass Order!"

"We did. I'm sure of it. V.V. was their leader and he was killed by Emperor Charles. Without V.V., the Order was leaderless and hopeless."

"Well as we can see, they're back. But why would the Geass Order be working with Code-R? Doesn't Code-R perform experiments on people with Geass? Why would the Geass Order want anything to do with mad scientists like that?"

A vibrating in Kallen's pocket told her someone else was calling.

"Kallen."

"You're alive! I heard that the entire school was under attack!"

"No, just me. And he's dead now. Listen, I need you to find whatever information there is about a science division called 'Code-R'. Code-R is former Britannian military, so talk to Schneizel."

"I'll get a meeting going. It'll be on the Ikaruga. If Code-R is from the government, I don't know who we can trust."

Kallen closed the phone and shot a glance at C.C.

"We need to go. Ohgi just called a meeting onboard the Ikaruga. I'm curious to see how Suzaku handles this one."

...

The room was eerily silent. Gathered around the table was the senior staff, which included the likes of Ohgi, Tamaki, Tohdoh, Kallen, and others. Most importantly, Zero sat at one end of the table. In the middle of the conference table sat a hologram of the daily news channel. The assassination of Lelouch was being replayed for the entire day.

Everyone stared at Zero.

"...who would like to...second this meeting?" Ohgi asked the members.

"I'll second this meeting." Kallen stood up and sat back down.

Ohgi nodded. "Alright, the meeting has been seconded. We may now proceed. As for-"

A fist slammed on the table. "Just who the hell are you, Zero?" Tamaki and his usual bombastic behavior always made its appearance in delicate times like this. However, this time his usually disapproving comrades jumped in with him.

"Who are you?"

"You killed Lelouch!"

"I thought Lelouch was Zero!"

"He was! So who the hell is this guy?"

"Say something, dammit!"

"Why weren't we informed of your plot to assassinate the Emperor?"

"Yeah! We should've been told if you were gonna do something like that."

Accusations flew around the room, all directed toward Zero, who was showing no reaction. Finally, he spoke.

"My comrades! I believe I have told you this before: it matters not who I am, but the actions I take."

Kallen stood up "Do your 'actions' include assassinating our leader? Lelouch used us, but he was still our great leader!"

Even though she knew full well who this new 'Zero' was, she had to keep up appearances. She was quite used to it by now. In addition, Suzaku was still under the impression he was completely anonymous. If she blew his cover now, it could mean a disaster. "For now, just play along" she thought.

"Take off your mask! Lelouch did, so how about you?"

"At least he showed us his face in the end!"

Zero spoke again. "As I recall, you all tried to hunt down Lelouch intending to kill him after he revealed who he was. Now why would I want such a thing?"

"Why? So that maybe you can live a litte longer!"

Tamaki stood up and loaded his pistol, aiming at Zero. Kallen jumped up in alarm, aiming her own weapon at Tamaki. Zero dramatically flipped his cape open and drew his own pistol, also aiming at Tamaki. Ohgi stood and drew his weapon on Zero. The meeting was thrown into disarray in a matter of seconds. Everyone was on their feet, screaming at others to calm down while slamming the table with fists. Irony at its finest.

"Don't shoot him!" Ohgi screamed at Zero.

"Show us your face, you imposter!" Tamaki spat out. His weapon sights were trained on Zero's mask, threatening whoever stood behind it.

"He can't do that! Not now!" Kallen had her pistol pointed at Tamaki, whose eyes darted back and forth between his weapon sights pointed at Zero and Kallen's weapon sights pointed at him.

"Why is she protecting me? She can't know who I am...and even if she did, still! Why?" Zero-Suzaku kept his weapon level with Tamaki's narrowing eyes.

"Sit down! All of you!" No one noticed C.C. who stood at the other end of the table, opposite the accused imposter. Her voice was stern and commanding, and even the great and mighty 'Zero' slowly sat. Tamaki reluctantly unloaded his pistol which dropped back into its holster at his side.

"Well, well! Zero's mistress finally makes an appearance!" Tamaki sneered. "Is this really Zero? You guys basically slept together, so I figured he would tell _you_ everything. OW!"

Kallen reached over and swiftly punched him in the nose, disgusted by his crudeness.

"Finding the identity of Zero isn't the priority of this meeting. Finding out what Code-R is. Ohgi."

Ohgi nodded towards Kallen. "An assassin managed to sneak into Ashford Academy today and attempted to kill Kallen. Luckily, she survived, but we have reasons to believe this was a government strike. The assassin belonged to a former Britannian science division called Code-R. We need to find know their whereabouts and contact the Britannian government to sort this out. I received this hologram recording from Schneizel. He might be able to tell us something."

A hologram in the middle of the table flickered and the face of Prince Schneizel faced everyone around the table.

"Greetings, Black Knights. I have created this recording with hopes that this information will be enlightening. Code-R was founded secretly under direct orders by Emperor Charles zi Britannia. Director Bartley Asprius was placed in command of the research team.

"The purpose of Code-R was to develop weapons using the powers of Code and Geass. These I will both explain. Emperor Charles zi Britannia believed that these two ancient powers were the key to winning the war. In a moment, you will learn why. The power of Code allows the Code bearer to become in effect, immortal."

"Immortal?!" Tamaki asked dubiously.

"Shh!"

"The powers of Geass are slightly more complicated. Geass is known to manifest differently in every user. As you already know, Lelouch vi Britannia, formerly known to you as Zero, possessed the "power of absolute obedience". You can already imagine how useful this tool would become in battle."

"Yeah, we have an idea." Tamaki spat.

"Shut up, already!"

"Code-R hadn't produced any significant technology for the government for the past few years it had been operating. It was finally was on the brink of discovery when they were told to shut down. The test subject escaping was the last straw for the infuriated Emperor. All government funding was lost, and the team was forced to disband due to lack of income."

"So how are they still here?" Kallen yelled at the hologram, forgetting he was only a recording.

"You're telling me to be quiet?" Tamaki yelled back.

"Both of you! Quiet!"

Suddenly, a large explosion sounded and the ship gave a massive heave.

"Alert. Hull breach. Radiant Wave Shielding activated." The robotic voice echoed throughout the halls and corridors of the Ikaruga.

"What's going on?"

"Are we under attack?"

Another explosion sounded and the ship rocked again. The entire vessel had been tilted sideways, and the crew struggled to get to their feet.

Ohgi grabbed the intercom system that hung on the wall. "Attention all decks! Battlestations! We are under attack!"

"Kallen! Alert the Britannian military of our situation! Send them our coordinates. Ohgi, get us in the air! The rest of you, report to your stations!" Zero issued out orders.

"Who the hell is attacking us?"

"How should I know? Think it's Code-R?"

"I don't know! I was asking you!" Tamaki and Ohgi ran to their respective stations on the bridge. Zero stood at the front of the room, observing the enemy through the main monitor.

"Ohgi, get us in the air!"

"Our Sakuradite generators were damaged in the attack. We're barely coping with the incoming fire, since much of our energy is being used by the Radiant Wave Shielding."

"Do whatever it takes to get power back up! Divert energy from the main weapons battery to the float system. We're useless on the ground!"

Ohgi began typing furiously into his terminal, trying to raise the power levels. Inside the Ikaruga generator room, the Sakuradite reactors were spinning furiously, almost to the point of overheating.

"Where are they attacking us from?"

"I'm reading incoming fire bearing three-one-zero mark zero-two-five! It looks like a Monsuta-class battleship, but I've never seen anything like it!"

C.C. called over from another console. "Incoming fire! Hadron cannons!"

The Ikaruga rocked violently as the Radiant Wave Shielding strained against the onslaught of raw energy fired by the Hadron cannons.

"Kallen! Tohdoh! Try to buy us some time!"

"But there's only two of us!" Kallen exclaimed.

"You're the best we have! Just draw their fire away from the ship! We need to get in the air!"

"Come on!" Kallen and Tohdoh left the bridge for the hangar bay.

"Ohgi, status!"

"Energy levels are at 62 percent capacity. Estimate 5, no, 6 more minutes until we have optimal energy to fly."

"Make it faster!"

"I'm trying!"

...

"Target their generators...fire!"

"Hadron cannons firing."

"Tactical reports direct impact, sir!"

"Excellent..."

"Their generators are already back online!"

"What? Impossible!"

"It appears there are two Knightmare frames shielding the Ikaruga! Their forcefields are able to withstand our Hadron cannons! The generator room has suffered only minor damages."

"No! Deploy the Gefjun disturbers!"

...

"We're up!" Tamaki shouted.

"How much longer till Britannian reinforcements arrive?" Zero tapped nervously on his console.

"We're not sure! We never heard back from them!"

"They're going to leave us out in the cold! C.C., once we've gained altitude, lock onto their cannons. We'll take out their weapons!"

"Zero, this is Kallen!"

"What's going on?"

"They deployed a Gefjun disturber net! We're still on the ground!"

"Dammit! Ohgi! Put us in front of them! Don't get too close, though. There's a Gefjun net active down there."

"I'll try!"

The Ikaruga slowly flew forward, placing itself between the other battleship and the two Knightmares. The Hadron cannons still rained fire mercilessly upon the Ikaruga and the Radiant Wave Shielding buckled under the pressure. The Ikaruga's Hadron cannons replied with a barrage of short bursts, taking out a few of the enemy's cannons.

"Zero, we can't keep this up for long! Radiant Wave Shielding is at 22 percent! Overall energy capacity is at 34 percent!"

"Kallen! Tohdoh! Get out of there!"

The ship shuddered, this time louder than all the other times. Slowly, the Ikaruga began to pitch forward, but did not stop. They dove faster and the ship's nose was pointed toward the ground. Everyone shouted out in surprise as they tried to hold onto something stable.

"Mayday! Damage control reports our main thrusters have been destroyed! We're falling!"

"What?! What about our Radiant Wave Shielding?"

"Not responding! Attempting to compensate for our dive rate...it's not working! Crash is imminent!"

"No..." Zero pressed his gloved finger against the intercom. "All personnel, abort! All personnel, begin evacuation sequence alpha-one! Evacuate the ship!"

He switched radio channels to the Knightmare frequencies. "Kallen! Tohdoh! Get to a safe distance! We're crash-landing!"

"What?"

"You heard me! Run!" Kallen and Tohdoh jumped out of their Knightmares and began to flee the battlefield.

All the members on the bridge scrambled to find a Knightmare frame they could evacuate with. Ohgi set an autopilot sequence that would slow down their rate of descent before running off the bridge.

"Hangar bay doors open! Let's go!"

A small stream of Knightmare Frames poured out of the crashing Ikaruga. The few Knightmares with a built-in float system hovered a few moments to watch the destruction of the Ikaruga as it crashed nose-first into the ground below. As the Ikaruga came to a stop, the Knightmares turned their backs to follow the rest of the evacuated crew.

"Oh, now the military decides to show up."

A row of battleships and carriers approached on the horizon, all bearing the Britannian flag. Hundreds of Knightmares launched from the carriers while the battleships charged their Hadron cannons.

...

"Sir! The Britannian military! We weren't expecting this level of firepower! Recommend we retreat."

"Noted. Helm, bring us around! No point in getting ourselves killed..."

...

"Is everyone alright?" Kallen ran over to the group of survivors who began climbing down from their Knightmares.

"Roll call reports 2 injured. No casualties, however" C.C. read off a clipboard.

"Who were they?"

"My guess? Code-R." Zero replied.

C.C. felt her pocket vibrate as her phone received a call. Who could possibly be calling now? She pulled out her phone and read the screen.

Caller ID: Unknown

"...Hello?"

"C.C." That voice...

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"This is Lelouch."

...

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Resurrection

...

**A/N:** Previous reviews have told me that my characters tend to get OOC and I am so sorry for that! I really try to keep them in character but any writer knows that keeping them in character is one of the hardest things about fanfiction. I'll try my best to bring you authentic sounding characters. Enough talk, let's read!

Funny note: I am currently writing a paper on the C.I.A. for my history class and whenever I had to type C.I.A., I always ended up subconsciously typing C.C. This is getting quite infuriating.

**Update:** Whoops, I forgot to properly format the text. My bad. If you guys ever see that again, feel free to PM me about it.

**Update 2: **Darn it, I forgot to format more things. If you see any asterisks, it means italics. I write on my iPod so whenever I transfer documents over, I sometimes forget to convert the asterisks into italics. Second fail today.

...

Chapter 2 - Resurrection

...

Lelouch squinted, looking out onto the horizon. Blocking his path was a tall masked figure donning a dark blue cape. His only weapon was a long sword he held out in his hand. The entire procession halted.

"Zero?"

"It's Zero!"

"Zero? But Lelouch is over there!"

The crowd gasped as they realized what Zero meant to do. Zero sprinted down the road, zigzagging side-to-side to dodge the incoming fire of the Emperor's Sutherland bodyguards. A fine job they were doing, he thought.

"Cease fire! I'll handle him!" Jeremiah "Orange Boy" Gottwald swung out his arm, exposing a long blade that was mounted to his wrist. He was determined to not fail his master _this_ time around. Ironically enough, for his master's plan to succeed, he would first have to fail.

With amazing agility that rivaled professional acrobats, Zero leaped into the air, flipped, and jumped off of Orange Boy's head that served as a springboard. As he fell, Jeremiah Gottwald looked upon the face of his Emperor one last time. He grinned to himself secretly, satisfied that he had finally redeemed himself, even if it was through failing.

"Impudent fool!" Lelouch stood up in disgust and drew his pistol. Zero effortlessly waved it away with his sword, where it clattered to the side. The tip of the blade was advancing towards Lelouch and he backed up until his knees hit the throne. A knowing smirk escaped his lips.

...

The bed Lelouch lay in dipped slightly as another mass situated itself on the edge of the mattress. His eyes remained fixed upon the ceiling which was a nondescript bland color, though out of the corner of his eye he spotted a tinge of bright green.

It was midday, not early morning after waking times, nor was it late evening before sleeping hours. The date was July 14 in the year a.t.b. 2018. It was the day before Zero Requiem was to be completed.

"What's it like?"

"Dying?"

"Yeah..."

"Depends on the method." C.C. said in her usual monotoned speech. "If you're lucky, it will pass by quickly. If you're like me, then...well not so much."

Lelouch chuckled. "Well let's hope I'm not like you."

"Don't worry. You aren't _nearly_ as beautiful as me." She twirled her long hair between her fingers. Lelouch simply scoffed.

"Nor am I _nearly_ as conceited." he mimicked her tone.

C.C. sat on the side of the bed, looking thoughtfully out the window.

"As I recall, you had planned to take down an entire nation without the powers of Geass. How is that not conceited?"

"My plan was completely realistic, if you haven't noticed. Look at where we are now!" He gestured by raising both his arms to the ceiling of the royal palace in front of him. He still lay on his back, and his arms fell to his sides.

"Does getting stabbed hurt?"

"No, it's rather pleasant, actually." her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You're a great help." he grumbled to himself, equally sarcastic. He sat up and swung his legs over the opposite side of the bed, he and C.C. now back to back.

Lelouch let out a heavy sigh. C.C. leaned back and to the side, looking at the warlock.

"Nervous?"

"You could say that." He was looking down at no particular spot on the ground.

"Don't be. You'll be fine."

"C.C...I'm going to die. I hardly believe that makes me 'fine'."

"I'm surprised you're going through with this."

"So am I."

Lelouch looked at the clock mounted on his wall. It read somewhere between 3 and 4 o'clock. He had about 21 hours left to live, a little less than a day.

"You could have me die instead."

"What? No, that's preposterous."

"It's not like I haven't died in your place before."

"Yes, but this is...different."

"Oh?"

"My death is my only method of payment for my atrocities. Without death, my deeds go unpunished, and I live in guilt. When I die, I take the hatred of the world with me. I create a better world and rid myself of my debts with my death."

"You're forgetting one thing, though."

"What am I missing?"

"Our contract. You still haven't completed it."

"Huh, maybe it's not a bad idea that you should take my place, considering how badly you want to die in the first place."

"Actually, that's not my wish anymore." He couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was grinning.

"Really? Then in that case, our contract is null and void. You changed the terms."

C.C. laughed, slightly amused by the boy's attempts at breaking the contract. "The terms are actually the same. I just asked that you fulfil one wish. I didn't specify the wish, if you remember. A change in the wish doesn't change the contract."

"You must've been a lawyer in another life..."

She shrugged. "Who knows what I was?"

"A witch?" Lelouch offered.

"That was rhetorical, you know."

"I know."

C.C. slowly rose from her side of the bed. She walked around the foot of the bed and sat down next to Lelouch. His elbows rested on his knees and his head was in his hands. C.C. reached around his shoulders and held him.

"You're doing a great thing for the world, ridding it of hatred. It doesn't deserve a gift like that."

He raised his head from his palms and looked at her. "I know someone who does, though."

"Who, me?" She laughed in disbelief. "Remember how much trouble I put you through? I forced you off your bed when I went to live with you. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Think of it as a partial payment for not finishing our contract. A better world to not die in. I don't know your new wish, but this should help."

His head returned to rest in his hands, still propped up by his knees.

"C.C.?"

"Yes?"

"I...don't want to die."

"I don't want you to die either."

"Will you be there?"

"I'll be there in spirit. I'll pray for you."

"Thank you."

...

His mind was brought back to the present. Somewhere out there, the witch was praying for him.

"You're going to be a hero, Suzaku. You will kill the Demon Emperor, the most despised person in the world. Everyone will look to you as their savior."

His heart hammered against his chest painfully. In a moment though, he would be relieved of that discomfort.

Nothing could have ever prepared Lelouch for the pain that followed. He gasped in shock as Zero plunged his sword deep into his chest. A crimson-covered blade jutted out of his back like a rusted nail stuck in a board of wood. His strength in his legs sapped out of him, Lelouch leaned forward on the sword as his only form of support.

His insides burned and he clutched at the dripping wound where the sword had entered his body. He touched his bloody hand to the mask of Zero, _his_ mask. His fingers slowly trailed down the surface, leaving four streaks of red that would later turn a rusty brown, if left unwashed.

"The punishment for your sins will be this, then. You will always wear that mask, serving as a knight for justice. You will give up the ordinary pleasures of life to create a better world for others." Lelouch whispered.

Suzaku spoke through gritted teeth. "This Geass...I do solemnly accept!"

Zero drew out the sword and with it, all of Lelouch's support. He swayed slightly in the wind before toppling head-long over the platform. The blood pouring out his back painted the regal carpet a dark shade of maroon as he slid down the ramp. He came to a stop right next to Nunnally, the sister he had planned this entire escapade for.

His vision began to blur, swirl, and cloud all at once. The only things he could see were the face of Nunnally and flashbacks of his life. His 18 years of living played out before his very eyes, though in fast-motion and never in a coherent string. Nunnally looked down at him with tear-filled eyes.

"I...have destroyed...the world...and created it..."

Nunnally gripped his hand tighter in her own.

"...anew."

As Lelouch's eyes closed for what he believed to be the last time, he could faintly hear Nunnally pleading with him to stay awake. The screams grew fainter and fainter until his mind was shrouded in darkness. With his last bit of consciousness, he smiled, pleased with his work. He had destroyed the world and created it anew.

...

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Horribly wrong. The kind of 'wrong' when you get that terrible sinking feeling in your gut when you realize you messed up. Badly. This is how Lelouch felt. Felt? He's dead. Dead people don't feel. But here he lay, feeling. Lay? He was certainly on his back. He could feel it. Yes, something was wrong. He felt alive.

Lelouch slowly opened his eyes, but could not see. Darkness still clouded his vision. He tried blinking out the darkness, yet it remained.

"Is this what the afterlife is like? Just darkness mixed in with a bit of consciousness? This is dreadfully boring."

He tried to sit up, but before he could even move an inch his chest screamed out in protest. He lay relaxed on whatever he was lying on and the pain subsided.

"I felt pain...I thought the afterlife ridded itself of pain."

After a moment, he realized that the air was getting quite stuffy. It was warm, wherever he was, and the air had that strange albeit inoffensive smell of brand new carpeting or fabric. His hands, which lay folded on his chest, started feeling slightly damp from the humid environment he was in. He tried sitting up again, but his progress was halted not by his pain, but by a cushion, curiously placed a mere 2 inches above his forehead.

"This can't be! Am I in...a coffin?"

His coffin theory would explain the heat, stuffiness, odor, and claustrophobia he was now feeling. The coffin was an enclosed box, so he should feel hot and stuffy. Its insides were most likely felt or some form of fabric, which would explain the carpet-like smell. His claustrophobia was self-explanatory. The only thing it did not account for was how the _hell_ he was still alive.

Once again, he attempted to sit up, but his head was once again halted by the ceiling. He fell back down with a soft thump. Though not soft enough, apparently.

He could hear voices through the thick walls of his coffin. Heavy footsteps shook the box and he realized that people were approaching. His fears were confirmed when he heard the faint clicks of a latch being undone.

The lid was thrown open, blinding Lelouch. Beams of sunlight streamed through the large windows in the church where his coffin resided. He did his best not to squint from the light, mainly because most corpses didn't squint.

"Aha! Gotcha!" He could hear the voices of several men, most of them laughing.

"Not funny, guys..." The man who had thrown open the coffin closed the lid as he walked back to the group.

"He actually believed...that he heard something!" The men snorted with laughter. Some were wiping their eyes that had watered from too much laughter.

"You should've seen the look on his face...when he opened the coffin...ahaha!"

"Hey, Barnes! You look like you've seen...a ghost! Gahaha!" The men continued hooting at 'Barnes' who was apparently scared of ghosts.

"Yeah, well I'm going to be staring at a few more if you guys don't shut up!"

Lelouch relaxed, thankful they had not discovered he was alive. The other men continued bullying the paranoid man, who was afraid of ghosts. Lelouch silently laughed to himself as he realized the man's fears did have some basis. He was alive, after all.

"How 'bout we lock ol' Barnes up in the room with the dead Emperor, eh?"

"Aha, sounds great!"

"See how much he sweats after that!"

"Hey, wait guys!"

The man named Barnes tried to run after his colleagues who had all sprinted out the doors and barricaded them with their bodies. He could still hear their laughter from outside the doors. They could be so childish, sometimes.

Time to make my move, Lelouch thought.

"Oh yeah, real mature, guys! You jackasses think this is really funny, don't you? Just wait until I get out of here and we'll see who's afraid...of...who..." He slowly stopped his rant as he heard the slow creaking of a hinge. He turned toward the coffin, but saw it was still closed.

"Just your imagination...just your imagination..." He attempted to calm himself but his self-pep-talk was interrupted by a louder creaking. He whirled toward the coffin, but it remained closed. His breathing quickened as he saw shadows move behind the coffin. An electrifying shiver ran down his spine and he shuddered.

"Just your mind...that's all...your mind is playing tricks on you..."

A loud slam that echoed throughout the high ceiling of the church shattered all hopes that he was imagining things. He shut his eyes tight, blocking out all sight of the church.

Through his squinted eyes, he swore he saw the shadow of a person, standing not two feet away from him. He slowly forced open his eyes and was faced with...

Nothing.

He breathed a loud sigh of relief. Suddenly a tap on his shoulder caused him to scream out of sheer terror. Behind him stood the once dead Emperor of Britannia, very much alive.

"Please don't kill me...don't kill me...don't..."

The corners of Lelouch's mouth slowly turned upward, showing just the right amount of his teeth to form a truly demonic grin, worthy of his former title. Lelouch was certain that his performance would have even scared himself, had he been watching.

"Well then." Lelouch uttered two words, still grinning horrifically.

The man in front of him rolled up his eyes and went limp, crashing on the floor.

...

"What was that?"

"You think he's acting?"

"I dunno..."

"If the boss finds out..."

"Yeah, we should go in there."

The men stepped away from the door, unblocking it and opening it. They all stood in the room and looked around. No one was there. Barnes wasn't even cowering in a corner as they had expected.

"Guys...you don't think that..."

Everyone slowly turned to face the coffin that lay undisturbed at the front of the room. Sunlight still painted shadows on the lid of the coffin, highlighting it as if beckoning them to come closer.

"Oh what, are you afraid of ghosts now?" A man swiftly walked straight up the aisle, grabbed the lid, and threw open the coffin.

"Oh...my God..."

"Impossible..."

Inside the coffin, the face of Barnes looked back up at them, eyes still wide open. He wore the Emperor's gold-trimmed robe. Lelouch vi Britannia was nowhere to be found.

Barnes blinked, sending all of his colleagues into shock. He slowly sat up and faced his audience. Everyone ran immediately.

"Guys? Guys...what happened to me? Guys...? Oh not again..."

...

"Changing rooms are down that way, sir." A store clerk pointed Lelouch down an aisle where several curtained stalls stood against the wall. He kept his head down and face covered as he walked, his royal attire partially covered by the navy blue overcoat he had stolen off of Barnes in the church.

He ducked into a changing stall carrying a pile of clothes and quickly drew the curtains. Once inside, he took off his stolen coat and tore off his white shirt that lay underneath. His burial clothes bore a similar resemblance to the clothes he had been killed in, though his blood-stained shirt had been changed into a fresh one. He looked at his bare chest in the mirror and saw a rather large scar forming to the left of his sternum, right next to the heart. Though it was faint, he could barely make out a small Geass symbol where his scar sat on his chest. He struggled to look at his back as he turned around and stretched. He could barely catch a glimpse of another scar on his backside, directly to the side of his left shoulder blade. No doubt this was the scar that he received when he was 'assassinated' by 'Zero'. The sword had gone through the front and exited out the back, creating the double scars he now wore.

Lelouch quickly changed into a pair of slacks and a more ordinary shirt before pulling his original clothes over the clothes he now wore. His jacket went on last. He zipped it up to the neck and threw on his hood, shrouding his facial features. His two layers of clothes felt a bit tight, but he would quickly amend that once he had left the store. He was ready to leave when he paused in front of the mirror again.

He stared at his eyes in the mirror, and pulled off his contacts, only to have his eyes water from his touch when he realized he wore none. He activated his Geass but no sigil appeared in either eye. Nothing at all. He began to slightly panic. Has he lost his Geass? His only weapon? If he did, that would mean he inherited a Code, since a Code-bearer cannot also bear a Geass. This would explain his resurrection. He gently touched his eyes again, making sure there was no contact lenses in the way. Realizing there was none, he tried activating his Geass again. Still nothing.

Lelouch left the changing room, with a bundle of clothes in his hands. He waltzed past the cashier line and was headed out the door when a shrill alarm sounded. A security guard walked up to him and Lelouch held up his arms, showing he wasn't carrying any bags of merchandise. The guard simply shrugged as did Lelouch, waving him on. Lelouch walked of the store wearing a new set of clothes and a huge triumphant grin.

"Didn't even have to use my Geass..."

It was a busy day inside the mall and everyone pushed and shoved no matter where you were. He stayed close to the walls, with his hood up and head still lowered. He took the smallest of moments to look up and locate a restroom. Spotting one, Lelouch kept his pace until he reached the sign where he turned and ducked into the restroom.

He came out a different person, wearing the clothes he had stolen from the store. Removing the tags was the more difficult part, as he couldn't simply walk around with giant pieces of plastic clipped to the edges of all his clothes. He had resorted to simply tearing that part of the shirt away, while he covered the tags on his pants with his large jacket.

"Ow, watch it, jerk!" An angry pedestrian carrying a large stack of pizzas exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." Lelouch couldn't help but be reminded of C.C. when he saw the large stack of pizzas the man carried. He walked away and looked down at his hand which now carried a new cell phone. While he wasn't looking, Lelouch had pickpocketed the man's cell phone, even though it wasn't quite pickpocketing since it was only attached to the man's phone holster.

It would cause quite the uproar if a cell phone number belonging to the dead Emperor suddenly started racking up charges on his 2-gigabytes-of-data-per-month plan. Without money, his only other option would be to steal a phone to make his calls. Not even the "Lamperouge" cover-name would work, assuming the media had discovered Lelouch vi Britannia's other aliases. He just hoped they would never find one other special alias, one that was currently being occupied by someone else.

Another thing he needed was cash. With all of his bank accounts presumably locked upon his death, not to mention the fact that he had extracted a rather large sum of his cash and given it to C.C., he could not use any of his credit cards that were registered to the "Lamperouge" title any longer.

He needed shelter, mainly because he didn't want to live the life of a homeless man after being promoted from being a disowned exile, to a wealthy fugitive, and then to becoming an Emperor of the most powerful nation in the world. Even demons had a Hell to live in.

More importantly, he needed someone he could thoroughly rely upon, a partner-in-crime who would back up his story as just being a look-a-like model for the deceased Emperor. He needed someone to run away with, someone to just explain to him what in the name of Zero was going on. He needed an accomplice.

He knew just who to call.

...

A great downpour began battering the weary crew of the Ikaruga. The storm clouds grew dark and thunder rolled on the horizon. Kallen looked out upon the majestic vessel that had carried them through battle, saving their lives countless times. All that remained was a smoking heap of scrap metal.

"The Ikaruga?"

The rain pouring down relentlessly on the metal sheets slowly extinguished the fires that sprung forward from the crash site. The constant *pitter-patter of rain drops was the only thing that broke the silence, or rather added to it.

Tohdoh sadly shook his head.

"It can't be saved. When it crashed, the entire generator room exploded, tearing the ship apart from the inside-out. We can barely salvage anything, save for some of the personal firearms we had in the armory."

"Think they'll build another one?" Ohgi mused.

"They better build one. I liked that ship." Tamaki groaned. The rain was beginning to soak the weary crew. It did nothing to help their mood.

"We never finished that meeting. I'd like to know who Zero really is." Tohdoh voiced his thoughts.

"I'd like to know who this Code-R is." Ohgi added.

"Next time, can we have the meeting somewhere safer than a floating fortress of doom?" Tamaki whined.

"Such as...where?" Ohgi asked, annoyed by Tamaki's usual complaints.

"Where do you think we should have it, C.C.?" Kallen asked the empty space next to her. "...where did she go?"

...

C.C. walked down the open-aired hallways of Ashford Academy. She rarely grew anxious, and this was one of those improbable occasions. The dark halls, shaded from the moon by the storm, flashed a bright white as lightning struck from the angry clouds. The deep boom of thunder came moments later.

_"...Hello?"_

_"C.C."_

_"Who are you? What do you want?"_

_"This is Lelouch."_

_A pause..._

_"C.C.? Are you still there?"_

_"...I-I'm sorry, you have the wrong number."_

_"You're lying. I can tell because I know you too well."_

_Another pause..._

_"Look, I know you're there, so just listen. Ashford Academy. My room. 9 o'clock tonight. Come alone. Tell no one."_

_A click on the other end._

_"Lelouch...is alive...?"_

She walked up the pathway to the Lamperouge Residence, Lelouch's very own private home, here on the school campus. Even though a walk to his first period class was literally a stone's throw away, and that's not very far considering Lelouch's strength, he was always cutting classes or showing up late. Part of his arrogant know-it-all nature, I suppose, C.C. thought. After living with him for quite some time, she had noticed that he seemed to deliberately spend extra time doing nothing, just so that he could be late to class.

She appeared at the doorway to Lelouch's room. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her key and unlocked the door, pushing it open. The lights were switched off and the room was dark, though it occasionally was lit by the flashes of lightning outside. It had looked just the same as when she had first him. Everything was tidy and neatly organized, something his meticulous nature probably forced himself to do. She had never known another boy to have a room on par with Lelouch's level of cleanliness. He definitely has O.C.D., she thought.

She reached out for the light switch but stopped short of touching it

"Don't."

...

A hooded figure walked through the main archway that served as a gate to Ashford Academy. It was evening, and all classes had been let out, leaving the students free to roam the campus. Normally, a hooded figure walking through campus without a uniform would have drawn the attention of many. However, it was raining a dreadful rain, and all the students had run inside to the shelter of their dorms.

He looked up and down the halls of what had been for much of his life his home, and memories flooded back to him. He used to be a care-free student, although he still is a care-free student. He seemed to be every girl's dream boy, as evidenced from Sayoko setting up dozens of dates for Lelouch to attend. Always cutting class, he managed to still be one of the brightest minds in his grade, if not the school. Those who didn't quite know him always wondered what went on inside his head, while those who did know him wondered even more.

Spotting his targeted building, he went around the back, and climbed up a series of footholds and hand holds, cleverly concealed and camouflaged within the outer walls of the building. He was careful not to slip on the footholds while the rain poured down the sides of the apartment. Reaching the top, he opened the window and climbed inside.

His room was exactly how he had left it, months before. It was then he had become Emperor of Britannia and would no longer have to live in such an uncomfortable and cramped apartment. In truth, he enjoyed his old living space more than he did the royal palace. It seemed that there were always guards or cameras watching his every move, and he felt even more trapped than when he was a political hostage living under a false name.

He sat down a his old desk, and the chair gave a slight creak, after not having been sat in for quite a time. The surface of the desk had accumulated a thin layer of dust from lack of use. He dragged a finger along the edge of the table and rubbed his finger together, making the dust disappear into the air. He laughed quietly to himself as he remembered that dust comes from dead human skin, among other things. He wouldn't be giving off dust any time soon.

He took out his stolen phone and opened it, dialing a number he would never have forgotten. He placed it to his ear, and waited anxiously as he listened to the phone ring. A click on the line told him someone had picked up, and he sighed with relief.

An all-too-familiar voice answered on the other end.

"...Hello?"

"C.C." He grinned, hoping his joy did not show through his voice.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Well, time for a shocker.

"This is Lelouch." He paused for dramatic effect. Apparently it was working, because he didn't hear any response of any kind from the other end. He frowned, worried that maybe she was too shocked to answer.

"C.C.? Are you still there?" The voice came back, and he was relieved once more.

"...I-I'm sorry, you have the wrong number." He knew it was her. No other voice could irk him the way hers did.

"You're lying. I can tell because I know you too well."

She still didn't answer. He sighed, getting tired of the games.

"Look, I know you're there, so just listen. Ashford Academy. My room. 7 o'clock tonight. Come alone. Tell no one."

He closed the phone and held his chin thoughtfully. He got up and turned off the lights, then returned to his seat. Now, he just had to wait.

...

"Don't." The single word, though quiet, uttered, and nearly drowned out by the rain, came from an unmistakable voice. C.C. dropped her hand from the plate on the wall.

A figure rose from Lelouch's chair at his desk. The moonlight from the window shadowed his face, leaving his identity a mystery. He slowly walked toward C.C., who stood unflinching, not giving away any tells. He stood quite close to her, though neither of them seemed ready to back away. His arm reached out to the panel on the wall, and he flipped the switch himself. The lights came on, illuminating his face.

She was greeted by raven-black bangs that stopped at violet-irised eyes. The slight grin he wore ended with a sharp, pointed chin.

She reached forward and with one finger slowly jabbed him in the chest. Lelouch looked down at this strange and sudden invasion of his personal space. She continued prodding him as if he were a large pizza-dispensing button.

"Lelouch...it really is you..."

She immediately threw her arms around his neck, embracing him and nearly choking him at the same time.

"Ouch...don't kill me again..." Lelouch sputtered from the unexpected death-hug.

"Right." She released him and took a step back.

"How are you alive?" She walked over to the door and shut it, preventing any accidental prying eyes.

"I've been asking myself that same question for quite some time now. My father's Code, perhaps?"

"A Code would be the only answer, I suppose. Do you have your Geass?"

He shook his head. "No, I couldn't activate it anymore. I think it's gone. C.C...I think I'm immortal."

"Welcome to the club." she smirked.

"I have to go into hiding, now. If the world knows I'm alive, all I worked and died for will be lost."

C.C. turned her head and stared at nothing in particular. "There are a few things you ought to know..."

"Kallen was attacked by an assassin today. We believe a government group called Code-R is behind the attack."

"Code-R? You mean the same group that-"

"Yes, the very same, although they appeared to have merged forces with the Geass Directorate."

"The Order? I was sure we destroyed them."

"I was too, until we found the same Geass crest on the assassin's ID tag. They're back."

"But why would they join..."

"There's more." She interrupted him. "The Ikaruga was attacked by an unknown vessel, though we believe the ship came from Code-R."

"Attacked? How many survived?"

"No casualties, though a few were injured. The Ikaruga can't be salvaged, though. Lelouch, someone is trying to disrupt the peace we both fought so hard to create. You can't go into hiding now, not when the world needs you. It needs its hero."

Lelouch threw up his arms. "I already gave the people a hero. A hero that rid the world of a hated man and would serve justice throughout the land. I gave them Zero!"

"Yes, but you planned all of that!"

"So what if I did?"

"It means that Zero isn't real."

"Of course he is real, Suzaku is Zero now."

"That's exactly my point. This Zero never led the feared Black Knights of justice. This Zero was never the one who could perform miracles. This Zero is not the man who saved the world from the heel of a cruel Emperor."

"Let me guess. You mean to say that I did all these things."

"Yes, you did!" C.C. stepped in front of his gaze. "You were the true heart and soul of the Black Knights. You were the one who performed miracles, and most importantly, you were the one who gave your life as a sacrifice to the world so it could feel a peace it never knew before. It doesn't matter that this figurehead named 'Zero' was the face of the Black Knights. Zero never existed. It was always you."

Lelouch let out a loud sigh. "I suppose you are right. But what good does the real truth do if the world cannot see it? The people still think Zero is the same savior who came to them before. Because of this, the absolute truth becomes relative because the people twist the truth to fit their own views and visions. Why would it matter if the real truth is not seen by the world?"

"It matters to those who do see it, Lelouch."

She took a smaller step closer to him. "Like me." Her golden eyes met his violet ones, no longer burdened with the powers of a runaway Geass.

The room flashed a bit brighter, and the sound of thunder reached their ears. The dull slapping of rain against the apartment persisted. Lelouch turned away and exhaled deeply. "We both know I can't become Zero again. Suzaku was supposed to be dead. Hell, I'm supposed to be dead! If I become Zero, that accounts for two supposedly dead people who just came back to life. Do you know how much damage that could inflict upon the peace I fought for?"

"Lelouch...the peace you fought for is already damaged. You can still save it though, if you continue to fight like you did before."

Lelouch shook his head.

"Take up the mask. Become Zero again. Or, you could sit back and watch the peace you died for crumble to dust."

C.C. began to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?"

She turned around, her face emotionless.

"I'm going to help save the world. How about you?"

...

**A/N:** Yes, my times might be screwed up. Lelouch's death might have been anywhere from late morning to early afternoon, and I'm not sure if my times are correct. Oh well.


	3. Chapter 3 - Not-so-Zero

...

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I'm busy juggling a lot of stuff right now, not to mention I started watching Fullmetal Alchemist. I finished the 2003 anime and I realized that in Code Geass and FMA, the main characters tend to get impaled at the end. Kinda sad. **

...

Chapter 3 - Not-so-Zero

...

It was nearly daybreak at Pendragon headquarters. Red-orange light started to stream through the windows of Empress Nunnally vi Britannia's royal bedchambers. She sat in her wheelchair on the balcony that overlooked the grand city below her. After regaining her vision, she would wait for dawn every morning. What good were eyes when nothing beautiful was in sight, she reasoned.

The last of the bright sphere that was the sun finally rose above the line of the horizon, and the full majesty of the sun was realized. Sighing, she spun around and wheeled herself back to her bedside table. A picture of Lelouch sat framed beside a clutter of papers on her desk. She looked at it longingly, praying for his return.

"I know you're out there somewhere, big brother..."

"Why do you keep that with you?"

Nunnally turned around and was greeted with the sight of her older purple-haired half-sister Cornelia.

"I'm sorry, I should have knocked first." she apologized.

The younger spoke with the voice of a small child. "No, it's quite alright. I was already awake for some time now."

"Watching the dawn again? If you want more rest but plan on getting up early every morning, you really should retire earlier in the evening." Cornelia chided.

"I like stargazing as much as I like watching the sun come up. I don't want to take my sight for granted."

"Of course. I simply don't understand why you keep that horrid picture of your brother with you." She sneered out 'brother', as if her very words would prune him from the family tree, estranging him.

"You know I still miss brother, no matter how evil he was. Besides," she sniffled suddenly. "no one really knows the truth of why he died...but I do."

Cornelia scowled. "He died because the people were simply fed up with his tyrannic rule, nothing more and nothing less."

Nunnally sighed at her sister's foolishness and turned towards the balcony where the sun had made significant progress in its climb towards the heavens.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about your meeting with the chancellor of Area 2. He should be arriving soon."

"Thank you, sister, I haven't forgotten."

"I'll be going now." With that, Cornelia turned and exited Nunnally's room.

A large battleship looms on the horizon of Pendragon headquarters, its formidable shape silhouetted by the beauty of the rising sun.

...

"Thank you, Chancellor. It was wonderful speaking with you at last."

The gray haired elder shook with laughter. "Why, the honor was all mine, Empress Nunnally! Even as someone in my position, it is still quite rare to meet _the_ Empress of Britannia!"

"It is even rarer to meet a man as charming as yourself, actually!"

"Oh, you flatter me!"

"Empress Nunnally!" A security guard ran up to the small girl in the wheelchair. "Empress, we ask that you follow us to the emergency underground shelter immediately."

"What's this?" The Chancellor of Area 2 stood up and adjusted his thick glasses.

The guard finally stood up straight after regaining his breath. "Chancellor, you should follow us too. As a diplomatic leader, it is of the utmost importance that you remain unharmed during your stay here."

"Excuse me, but what's happening?" Nunnally looked up at the guard.

"There is a large unidentified battleship approximately twenty kilometers from our present location."

"My! Have you tried contacting them?" The Chancellor's eyes widened.

"They're within transmission range, but they haven't responded to any of our messages. They appear to be heavily armed, but we don't know their intentions. Even so, we must take the necessary precautions."

"Quite right, sir. Empress Nunnally, I believe it is in both of our best interests that we accompany the guards to the shelter."

"Um...alright..."

Suddenly, the PA system in the entire building sounded with a screech of feedback.

A booming voice rang out from the speakers mounted everywhere in the building. "We are the Dark Phoenixes! We have come to liberate the citizens from Britannia's tyrannic rule! Your government is as corrupt and prejudiced as before the noble Black Knights tried to save it! We have an armament of Hadron cannons locked on to your current location. All attempts at resistance are futile. Surrender now, or face the consequences."

A screen nearby suddenly lit up with the image of Zero. A shared sigh of relief was breathed.

"Zero! Engage the threat head-on! Their coordinates-"

"Now why would I do such a thing?" Zero's icy voice asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You're supposed to be serving the-"

"I answer to no one. From this day forth, the Black Knights withdraw from all Britannian military operations and duties."

"Y-you can't just leave us like this! Zero, what are you doing?"

"Your mistake was to place the bulk of your military powers in a former terrorist group. We could have got up and left any time we chose to, on a mere whim. You should have called upon soldiers who actually felt a duty to their country. Perhaps this shall teach you a lesson in politics, Empress."

"No, wait!"

The line cut and the TV went dark. The occupants of the room looked around at each other with uncertainty. Had Zero just abandoned them? He wouldn't! The Black Knights made up the primary fighting force of the Britannian military, and their secession meant the army would suffer a huge loss in numbers and firepower.

"Don't worry, Empress. Everything is under control." The guard then spoke into a radio on his shoulder. "We're moving the Empress and the Chancellor now. Scramble the Knightmares! Fire as soon as you get within range! We'll take that traitorous bastard down!"

...

"Incoming transmission, sir."

"Ignore it."

"Yes, sir!"

"Sir, there's a text transmission coming in. Should I read it out on the main screen?"

"Does this look like story time, private? Ignore it too."

"Uh, right away, sir!"

"Ha! They think that by merely talking to us, they can avert the destruction of their capital. How foolish. How naïve!"

"Fire bay reports all weapons ready!"

"Is that so? Well then..." The captain stood up from his seat and strolled to the middle of the bridge.

"Target the center of the building. Fire all weapons!"

"Firing!"

...

"We're nearly in the shelter, Empress! One hundred meters!"

"What about everyone else?"

"We've scrambled the Knightmares but non-military personnel are being moved to a separate part of the-"

The walls and ceiling above them shook with the force of an earthquake worthy of being recorded in history. The guard grabbed his radio.

"What's happening up there?"

"They're firing at us! They've got Hadron cannons! And lots of them! And Radiant Wave shielding! Our weapons are useless!"

"We're almost in the shelter! Keep them busy!"

"We're trying, but there's no-argh!" The line cut and only static remained.

"Are you alright? Do you copy? Dammit! We have to keep moving!"

The Empress, Chancellor, and their company of guards began to run as fast as they could down the never-ending hall that would lead to the shelter.

"There it is! I see it!"

"Lieutenant, secure the door!"

"On it!" With a sudden burst of speed, one of the guards sprinted up to the doorway where he punched in a 9-digit code into the keypad. His ID card was swiped, and the massive door slowly swung open. Five feet of solid steel moved before all of their eyes as the large shelter was revealed.

"Cornelia!"

"Nunnally! I'm glad you made it here. Captain, what's going on above ground?"

"The unmarked battleship has begun firing, but we should be safe here."

Zero...has abandoned us!

...

A large cardboard box, 18 inches in diameter, landed in the center of the table. Lelouch jumped out of his daze with a start. They were in a small hotel, seeing as a light coming from the Lamperouge residence at Ashford would look suspicious. They waited in the small room, both of them trying to decide the best course of action for the resurrected Emperor.

He shook his head with slight annoyance as he rose from the sofa. "I still don't see why you had to go."

She stayed where she stood and simply turned her head at him. "I don't see why you had to stay."

"If I went to get pizza with you, people would see my face. The media would be in an uproar and the damage would be terrible."

"The damage to your face is already terrible." Her lips split into an obscenely irritating smirk. Lelouch squinted at her, wondering how on earth he would deal with this woman for the rest of eternity.

Earlier, he struggled as he tried to explain to her how a "unanimous" decision was made by two agreeing parties, not one. In her usual level tone, she offered, "I could shoot your kneecaps off while I go to Pizza Hut." Lelouch hung his head and shooed her off by waving his hand.

The slice of pizza was slowly lifted to his face and held at eye-level. His head tilted upwards and inhaled deeply, then took two shorter sniffs.

"It won't bite." C.C. continued to wolf down her slice while staring at Lelouch, who was staring at his pizza, that was staring back.

"Neither will I. The grease content..." His nose involuntarily twitched.

"Tasty, isn't it?"

"I was going to say something along the lines of astonishingly unhealthy."

She didn't hear him. "In all the centuries I've lived in, this is by far the most delicious."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure it is. Say, what did you eat before pizza?"

She paused mid-chew. "Good question. Luckily for me, my memory doesn't go back that far to remember a world without pizza."

"We should go to a gym for you to work that off..."

"Well you're certainly one to talk, Mr. Lelouch Lightweight."

"At least I don't have to worry about being overweight." He muttered.

"Are you implying something?" She asked in mock offense. C.C. reached into the box and pulled out another steaming slice of heaven which she brought to her mouth.

"Of course not. You're just lucky your body stays the way it is."

Her eyebrow raised. "Would you like me any less if I didn't stay the same?"

Trick question...trick question...trick question...

"Who said I liked you at all?"

He dodged a mental bullet and wiped away a bead of sweat.

"Who said you didn't?"

The mental bullet suddenly stopped in its tracks and spun around, hitting him in the back of the head.

Did he like her? Or maybe love was a more appropriate word considering their time together. Looking at them from an outsider's perspective, they could almost pass as an intimate couple.

She had unceremoniously stripped and jumped into his bed the second night they met. She had spent a year sleeping with him, quite literally. She risked her life for his on more occasions than he preferred to owe her. She was one of the few who had gone back to save him after he lost his memory to the now-deceased Emperor. Unlike so many others and perhaps most importantly, she had stayed with him till the very end when everyone close to him had fallen away, supporting every decision he made, yet shaking him enough to get him back on track whenever he was lost.

"Your pizza is getting cold." Her statement was more of a subliminal command ordering him to finish his slice. He snapped out of his reverie and hurriedly took a bite of his now soggy pizza. Gross.

...

His eyes burned. They were shut, but they burned, nonetheless. His head pounded with a headache that threatened to split it open. His mouth felt dry and tasted bitter, like he had recently vomited and did not rinse it out. The only thing he could smell was the smell of cleaning agents that sterilized the room to a point where it seemed absolutely nothing could live in it.

Above the restrained man was a small room with a window looking over the scene. The room housed the main doctor and his assistant. Many computer screens lined the walls of the room, displaying various charts and graphs. The nurse peered out the window.

"He's regained consciousness."

"Wake him."

He jolted up in agony, as two electrifying nodes were placed over his temples and activated, sending static shocks through his system. He tried to groan, but his swollen tongue did not permit any sound from leaving his throat. His attempts at lifting his arms were in vain as he realized he was strapped down onto a chair.

A clear tube ran from his left forearm to an IV bag. Dripping into the bag was a liquid of undefinable color that seemed to change hues when looked at from different angles, though there was an underlying shade of dark red. This liquid was slowly being pumped into his system, while another tube led out of his right forearm, drawing blood. He felt light-headed from this transfer of blood and this other substance.

"How do you feel?" A disembodied voice echoed through the room.

He managed one word. "Sick."

"Well that's normal. We're replacing your blood with the serum. The process is almost complete."

He leaned further back in the chair, looking from side to side.

"What will the effects be once this is over?" His voice was hoarse and grating.

"It depends. The Geass will manifest differently, depending on who you are."

"Will I naturally know how to control the power I have obtained?"

"Most likely."

"I assume you will have somewhere for me to practice my newfound abilities?"

"Of course."

The humming of the machine next to him was replaced with a low-pitched beeping sound. An indicator light flashed on and off, signalling the completion of the transfusion. The IV stopped drawing blood, and the machine stopped pumping.

"Looks like you're ready to go." The assistant nurse confirmed.

Another voice spoke this time. "Nurse, get a team to take off the IV's and have him cleaned up.

A door slid open and in walked a group of doctors and nurses. Some went straight to the display consoles standing next to the restraining chair, while others attended to the test subject. The IV's in his arms were removed and their entrance points sterilized.

"Take off the restraints."

With a loud clang, the wrist and ankle restraints burst open. The man raised up his arms and placed them on the sides of the chair, slowly hoisting him upright. Several doctors were ready for him, helping him up by the arms. With surprisingly little effort, he stepped off of his chair.

The medical team quickly left, and the door was shut with a bang. Another loud bang was heard through the room, and he realized they had slid the deadbolt in place. Safety precautions, he guessed.

Another door behind him opened, and a trembling man was thrown into the room, where he collapsed on the floor with his ankles chained together. He was frantically pushing himself away from the newly awakened test subject, fearful of whatever power he might possess.

"...Well go on!" The doctor's voice sounded irritated and impatient. He was waiting for his experiment to begin using his abilities, whatever they may be.

The man's right eye blazed with the power of Geass, and his whole body flickered out of sight. The scientists and doctors in the observation room gasped in amazement.

"He's invisible!" One doctor noted.

"Wonderful! Simply magnificent! His Geass allows him to be invisible!"

The bound man on the floor was suddenly raised upward by his shirt and flung into a nearby wall where he collapsed again. He struggled to stand up, searching for his invisible assailant. A blow to the back of his head stunned him, then a blow to the side. He cowered on the floor, trying to block the punches that seemed to come from every direction. He could not see the other man.

Suddenly, the punches stopped. The prisoner was still in a heap on the floor with his hands over his head. Cautiously, he peered out from under his arms, expecting another blow. It never came, much to his surprise.

The doctor called out. "Good enough. Deactivate your invisibility, and we'll finish up this training session."

No response came.

"Test subject, deactivate your invisibility!" His voice stressed.

"Why isn't he responding?"

A strangled cry gradually crescendoed in the testing room. Icy chills went down the doctor's spine. The beaten man warily looked around, his eyes darting back and forth between the corners of the room. The voice did not come from him, but from the test subject.

Someone was banging on the walls, as they shook with the force of a battering ram repeatedly slamming into the cold metal. The ruckus reached the ears of those up high in the observation room. More screams followed. A slight disturbance shifted around in a corner of the lab.

A nurse excitedly pointed to a corner. "I think I see something!"

"Oh...what have we done...?"

A partially invisible figure slowly rose to its feet and shakily attempted to remain standing. Parts of him were invisible, other parts were not. His arms briefly flashed into vision before they flashed out of vision, equally as quickly. Part of a face revealed itself and several of the doctors and nurses turned away.

It was a grotesque image. The bare flesh of the man's face looked as if it were eaten away by a powerful acid. Flecks of rot and decay speckled his body. Parts of his cheek dissolved away, revealing a gaping hole which should have been his mouth. Blood dripped onto the floor below the semi-invisible man as his abdomen came into focus. He looked like a living autopsy patient. His internal organs hung against his rib cage and dripped various bodily fluids into the pool of blood at his feet. At long last, his now fully visible body fell forward with an undignified _splat_.

"Well, that didn't go so well. Cleaning crews!" The doctor scribbled in chicken scratch on his notepad and turned away from the window. His assistant nurse ran to catch up with him as he left through the doorway to another part of the facility.

"What happened back there?"

"Quite obviously, he became invisible. I didn't know his body would actually disappear..."

"Doctor, is it possible his Geass ran out of control and consumed him? Perhaps your theories-"

"That quickly? Come now, we both know it takes months, years perhaps, for Geass to fully develop. If anything was wrong, it must have been on _your_ end of the project. You designed the serum, remember."

Inwardly, she was fuming. After all, it had been the doctor's theories she based her serum equation off of. If anything was wrong, it was _his_ theorems! He didn't have an open mind, the doctor. If he did, she would have taken something of significant mass and stuffed that into his empty skull to substitute a brain. He was a genius, though. A prideful genius at that. She opened her mouth for a sharp retort but hesitated and settled for a heavy sigh.

"Yes, it _must_ have been my fault. I'll deconstruct the serum and figure out what went wrong."

"That's the spirit!" The nurse rolled her eyes in annoyance. If only she could make the doctor turn invisible for a while...

...

"Open cell number 4, D block!"

"Opening!"

The harsh buzz of the alarm rang as the metal door slid back with a bang. Light flooded into the pitiful cell and a man in shackles raised his neck.

"On your feet. You're next."

He was thrown again into darkness as a bag came over his head. Someone was yanking a chain that connected to his wrists, leading, or dragging rather, him along.

The swish of an automatic door reached his ears. He sensed the temperature difference between the hallway he was led through and this new room he was thrust into. He walked forward and felt a chair behind his knees, which he was forced down onto.

His face was jerked upwards as the bag over his head was yanked off. The harsh artificial lights blinded his previously dilated pupils and he shut his eyes tightly. A large man sat across from him, dressed in a military jacket. He spoke in a low, grating voice.

"Will you commit to this experiment?"

"No. I cannot."

The man exhaled and leaned back in his chair. With a simple glance at the guards on either side of the prisoner, the same bag was thrown over his head. They violently pulled the man out of the chair and immediately thrust his head into a tank of water.

"Mmph!" His body spasmed as his lungs were slowly depleted of oxygen. With every attempt at surfacing, he was forced down further into the icy waters.

The large man looked idly at his watch. With another nod, the guards grabbed the bag on the prisoner's head and jerked backwards, throwing him out of the water to writhe on the floor. He gasped for air and spat out water at the same time, causing him to choke. His lungs both burned from the lack of oxygen and and froze from the presence of ice. He could finally breathe with more ease as the bag that restricted his air flow was removed.

After his coughing subsided, the large man asked again, "Will you commit to this experiment?"

"Go to hell."

The man pressed a button on a nearby panel and the choking man dropped through the floor into a freezing pool. This time, his entire body was submersed in the 5-foot deep tank. His arms and legs still bound, he thrashed about even more violently in an attempt to reach the surface. His heavy shackles prevented his movements.

His mind began to cloud over as his oxygen left his body. Just when he thought he was going to drown, a chain lifted him up by his ankle shackles, suspending him upside-down, but keeping him out of the water. He sputtered even more as he felt his head swim with water.

The floor that had dropped from under him was replaced, and he landed on top of the sliding panel. He tried to roll over but one of the guards held his shoulders in place. The other guard approached him with a needle.

"Get away from me! Gah!"

His attempts to resist were useless as he felt the sting of a needle on the side of his neck. Within seconds, all went dark.

...

"Phase three, begin."

"Test subject, activate your Geass."

A bloodcurdling scream split the air and the observation room window was bombarded by liquid red. Shouts of horror erupted and someone ran out of the room, a hand to his mouth. The doctor nonchalantly adjusted his wire frame glasses and scribbled something in his notebook. His assistant merely shut her eyes while turning to the side.

The doctor let out another disappointed sigh. His finger went to a button on the wide control panel. "Well then...cleaning crews?"

Another voice crackled through the air. "Uh...roger that!"

The small areas of the window that were still transparent were slowly being invaded by a thick substance that dripped down the glass. A water hose briefly appeared through a patch of clear and the red was washed and replaced by the white of the laboratory walls. A hazmat suit protected the cleaning workers from the biohazards of working in the human testing facility.

"That went well."

His assistant raised her eyebrow. "By 'well', do you mean a complete failure?"

"Not quite. The man exploded, didn't he? I'd wager there's something of benefit to be learned here."

The nurse's eyes narrowed and her face twisted in puzzlement. "What on earth could possibly be beneficial from this experiment?"

The doctor shrugged. "We can use this as a weapon?"

"Highly unlikely. The target would have to undergo a complete blood replacement procedure which could take hours, days even."

"Ah, you think in such two-dimensional terms!" The nurse rolled her eyes at his chiding tone. "We can develop this, no? Is that not what we are trying to accomplish? Weapons made of Geass?"

"I suppose..."

"Ah! By Wednesday, make another serum that is much more potent! We'll test it as a weapon against one of the prisoners!"

"Wednesday?"

"Something the matter?"

"Today is Tuesday."

"Indeed it is."

The nurse let out an exasperated sigh of defeat. "Alright...Wednesday."

The eccentric doctor clasped his hands together. "Splendid!"

...

"By order of the Britannian military, I hereby place all of you under arrest!"

Several Black Knights members looked up from their work. In the warehouse, a large airship had been supplied by the military to replace the first Ikaruga that had previously been destroyed. One Black Knight wore a welding mask and wielded a torch, in the process of installing a custom Hadron cannon onto one of the wings. Another sat inside an engine turbine, polishing the shiny chrome finish.

"Huh? Hey, Zero, check this guy out! He's trying to arrest us! What a joke!" One of the welders dropped from the wing he was perched on and strode toward the Britannian officer.

"You are to stand trial for the desertion of the military. Your actions today were unacceptable!"

Zero appeared from the shadows and stood up to the Britannian officer. "Just what are you talking about?"

"You allowed an attack on the capital! Empress Nunnally and the Chancellor of Area 2 were inside as well!"

"Nonsense! Why weren't we informed of this attack then?"

"I have a recording that will explain everything. Just before the fighting broke out, you sent this transmission to Pendragon headquarters, as well as the Britannian high command!" The soldier handed over a tablet that displayed a video recording of Zero's conversation with the Empress. But this Zero's voice sounded disjointed, as if the words in his sentences were all stitched together from separate recordings...wait a second!

"As you can see, Zero, you deserted the capital in a time of dire need and because of this, 43 people are dead! That's not even counting the military forces that tried to dispatch the attackers! As you can see, we are accompanied by a large military force. Your refusal to come with us would be most unwise."

Zero looked around and took note of the locations of the other Black Knights. Resistance would not be a good option, considering the Black Knights were not prepared for a firefight. The military escort however, was. Out of the corner of his eye, or mask rather, Zero saw a blur of movement as a figure ducked into the port airlock of the Ikaruga II. He smiled beneath his mask.

"We will accompany you without resistance." Zero's response earned several astonished gasps from his followers.

"But, Zero!" Zero turned his head and tried to shoot a glare at the protesting soldier. Though he couldn't see Zero's eyes, the soldier understood.

"Wise decision. Stand down, men." The riflemen who had formed a semicircle behind the officer lowered their rifles. Zero proceeded to gather his followers as they all piled into a large military transport.

...

"Where are you taking us, if I may ask." The sight was a strange one. The tall and ominous figure of Zero sat sandwiched in between two short stocky soldiers, both clearly afraid of the presence between them.

"A military base. We will keep you in confinement until the military is ready for your hearing."

"Wrong answer." Zero smirked.

"What are you talking about?"

Just then, the ground beneath them shook as a large shadow descended upon them. Some soldiers stuck their head out of the windows to find the underbelly of the Ikaruga II.

"S-s-sir! Their airship!"

The entire transport was hoisted and deposited in the main cargo bay of the Ikaruga. Over a dozen Knightmare frames greeted the military personnel and they all began to get out of the transport, hands above their heads.

"Good. I didn't even have to ask!" Kallen Kozuki sat proudly in her custom Knightmare frame, surveying her handiwork. She had remotely controlled the Knightmares to stand in a position that looked like they were ready to fire, when in reality, only hers was actually occupied.

Zero and the rest of the captured Black Knights filed out of the transport and formed a wall behind the Guren.

"It seems that the tides have turned, officer. Take this message back to the Britannian military: we will not be arrested. We will find the imposters who claimed to be Zero and we will destroy them with or without the help of the military. Send our condolences for the families of the deceased. Tell them they will have their revenge."

"Traitorous bastard!"

"Kallen, release the transport."

"Got it!" Kallen pressed several switches and the ramp the transport sat on top of swung downwards. The transport and its troops slowly began to slide off the ramp and onto the road below. Once the transport sped away, the Ikaruga retracted the ramp and flew off into the night.

...

Zero addressed the group. "Very good. We will stay here for the night. You all need your rest. Good night."

The Black Knights dispersed among the many decks of the Ikaruga II, going to their respective crew quarters. Upon the conclusion of a brief meeting, they had decided it best to live in the darkness of anonymity. Kallen's assassination attempt at the Academy was proof enough to all of them that they were none of them safe. Combined with the strange transmission that had branded them all traitors of the military, they believed it best to go into hiding. Zero walked to the bridge.

"Zero?"

Suzaku heard but didn't register his name being called as he stared out through the window. Rain still beat against the side of the airship and drops steadily poured down the glass.

_This wasn't supposed to happen...I can't live like this! How did Lelouch do it? What would you do, Lelouch?_

"Suzaku."

Zero's head snapped up and he turned around to face Kallen. Too late did he realize his mistake.

"That was a mistake. You shouldn't have responded, Zero. Now I know for sure." She sneered out Zero with contempt.

His mind froze as he quickly tried to regain composure. "Q-1, what is the meaning of-"

"Don't even try that with me! You aren't Zero and you can't possibly dare to be like him!" She spat out.

"I would never want to be like him! You know what kind of person he was and the things he did!"

"You would also know that we were friends! All of us! Why would you kill your best friend? Huh? Answer me!"

Suzaku couldn't find a suitable answer so he responded with a question.

"Do you think I enjoyed it? I knew him far longer than you ever did. We didn't just go to school together, we grew up together! Then I had to serve as Nunnally's aide after killing the only person in the world she cared about! Do you think I wanted that?"

"If you didn't, then why the hell did you go through with his plan?" Her voice roared.

He paused and returned his gaze to the window. "As punishment for sins committed long ago."

Kallen scoffed. "What kind of sin would require you to murder your best friend in cold blood?"

He didn't answer.

"Get some rest, Kallen. We have a lot of work to do."

...


	4. Chapter 4 - Geass Without Contracts

...

A/N: Hello, everyone, I'm back! Sorry, but my router broke down and it took a while to get a replacement over the phone (stupid Comcast customer service). Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who has so far read my stories and left input. Also, feel free to leave suggestions for what direction you think the plot should take. I am also looking for beta readers. This is your chance to leave your mark on my story! Not that my story is or ever will become an incredible all-time hit and masterpiece amongst the likes of Cal Reflector, Allora Gale, and Kyugan, but I try my best!

If you were too lazy to read the above paragraph, long story short, I'm looking for beta readers. Ya'll lazy people, smh. Ha! I'm kidding. I skip through stuff all the time. Onto the story!

...

Chapter 4 - Geass Without Contracts

...

A pillow planted itself squarely in Lelouch's face.

"Mmph..."

His eyes slowly opened but everything remained a blur. The darkness of his surroundings led him to believe it was sometime between the late hours of the night and the early hours of the next morning. His hand was brought to his face and he rubbed his eyes, clearing the fog. A pale face that loomed in the darkness stared at him intently.

"Wha-! C.C.?" He jumped up in bed, startled. "What are you doing?" He rubbed his eyes some more.

She crossed her arms across her chest. "What are _you_ doing, Lelouch?"

Lelouch looked back at her, puzzled at what she was trying to get at. Then, he looked down.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Sheepishly, he let go of a good portion of the blankets they shared, allowing his companion to pull over her rightful allotment of the sheets to her side of the bed. Satisfied, she lay back down and rolled over the other way.

"Trying to freeze me to death? You know that won't work."

"Mn." Lelouch was almost fast-asleep already.

"You should have let the lady take the whole bed and slept on the floor."

"Been there...done that. Now let me sleep..." His voice was muffled by the pillow he further buried his face into.

No sound came from either of them for a while, and Lelouch sighed with satisfaction. Finally, he could get some rest.

Suddenly, it started again. "I can't regain body heat this quickly, Lelouch. This rain has lasted us for a few weeks straight now. It can get really cold here."

Lelouch groaned. "Why don't you try...wearing something besides just my shirt...and your underwear...?" His voice was drowsy and slurred from exhaustion. Resurrecting was a tiring job, if you didn't know.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't like seeing me like this, Lelouch."

"From this point of view, I actually can't see you at all. It would be even better if I couldn't hear you as well." He grumbled.

"Now now, that's no way to speak to a lady."

"Witch." He corrected her. He groaned again, realizing all this conversation had started to wake him up.

"A beautiful witch, to be exact."

"Oh, shut up." He rolled his eyes and clamped the pillow over his ears. Suddenly, an arm snaked around his midsection and a soft mass pressed itself against his back. Someone, or something, was breathing down his neck.

"Gah! What in the-" His whole body tensed as his head spun around, trying to see what was happening behind him.

"I'm cold, so stay still and stop talking. And maybe start exercizing. You have absolutely no abs." He suddenly became very aware of her hand on his stomach.

"Oh, you're one to talk, witch. Eating pizza all day...pft!"

"Gazing at my midriff, have you now? Woud you rather I have more abs than you? I didn't know you were into female bodybuilders, Lelouch."

"Female bodybuilders? No! That's disgusting. And considering your usual attire, I hardly think you're doing a good job to cover yourself properly."

He was reminded of all the times he came home to a half-naked witch lying in his bed. Her usual cropped tank-top was often accompanied by simple white boyshorts that were cut to an unholy length. So yes, her midsection, along with other things Lelouch didn't care to mention, was often exposed.

"About bodybuilders, do you like the way their biceps-"

"No!"

"Or maybe it's their quad-"

"No!"

"No? Then it must be their-"

"That's enough!" He finally snapped. He grabbed all of the sheets he had recently given back to C.C. and yanked them away, rolling over to effectively trap them under his body.

"Hey! You always hog the sheets!"

"That's what you get..." He growled with annoyance.

He wondered if it was any use at all to try to go back to sleep, considering the state of alertness he was now in. Said state of alertness would soon jump exponentially higher, as C.C. snaked her other arm underneath him, squeezing his body even closer to hers.

"What are you trying to do?" Lelouch tried to turn over to yell some common sense, and if even decency if possible, into the witch.

"Well, you took all my sheets, so I have to stay warm someway. But somehow, I think you would much rather have me stay warm by doing this, wouldn't you?" Was that...suggestion in her voice?

"Damned witch..." He gave up and returned her sheets. She accepted them with her trademark smirk.

"That's what I thought."

"You...are insufferable."

"And you're stuck with me for eternity."

"Don't remind me."

...

Ohgi's shift had started an hour ago. It was his turn to keep watch on the empty bridge, save for a single helmsman. Monitors chirped rhythmically as radar picked up various commercial flights soaring overhead.

He kept awake by writing a letter to his beloved wife, Viletta Nu. He explained how the Black Knights were being framed as traitors and how a falsely fabricated video recording by the Dark Phoenixes had tricked the Britannian government into believing the Black Knights were deserters. As his letter came to a close, he stood and stretched, letting out an elongated yawn.

The automatic doors behind him swished open, and Kallen, Ace Pilot strode in.

"Kallen? Your shift doesn't start until another hour. What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind. I'm relieving you an hour early. Get some rest."

"You sure? I'm wide awake now..." Another yawn betrayed his hidden sleepiness. Kallen raised an eyebrow.

"Go back to your quarters. I'll take it from here."

"Well...alright then. I owe you one, Kallen." He yawned and stretched some more as he walked off the bridge, letter in hand.

...

The waning moon cast a spotlight that shone through the windows and onto Zero's desk. A single dimmed desk lamp that sat atop the desk's mahogany frame aided the moon by shedding its own pale yellow light. A binder sat in between the crossfire of the two yellow and blue sources of light. These two beams provided all the light in the entire room.

Suzaku flipped through several files Lelouch had given him in preparation for assuming leadership of the Black Knights. In all the files he had received, none of them mentioned the name Code-R. The only file that related to the Geass Directorate was a report that documented the assault on their headquarters. Other than that, the name was never again referred to.

Pages crunched and crinkled with every iteration of Suzaku's increasingly robotic movements. One page, flipped onto the other. That page flipped onto another. The pattern continued into the restless hours of the early morning. The silvery-blue light cast by the moon slowly shifted down the visible spectrum into a pale orange.

The door bell to Zero's quarters chimed and Suzaku turned up his bloodshot eyes from the binder before hurriedly attaching his mask.

"Who's there?" His voice was laced with drowsiness and over-exertion. Even fitness nuts such as himself weren't comfortable working the wee hours of the night that bled into the early morning.

"It's Kallen." A female voice answered back. She, too, sounded tired.

"Come in."

Kallen, dressed in her Black Knights uniform, stepped into the brightening room and checked for anyone else who was already present. Seeing no one, she continued inside as the doors shut behind her.

"Just you?" Kallen nodded. Suzaku removed his Zero mask and set it on his desk next a stack of papers. He breathed a sigh of relief while shaking his head.

"I'll never get used to wearing that mask." Kallen shrugged, unsure of how to respond. Suzaku could feel her piercing gaze for what felt like an unusually long period of time.

"What's wrong? You're unusually quiet."

"...I'm tired." Was her simple reply. Suzaku nodded, understanding. He was becoming increasingly familiar with the stresses of living underground and under a fake identity. Too familiar, in fact. What made things worse was his adopted identity belonged to his best friend, as well as his lover's murderer. Even worse than that was the fact that they were one and the same person.

"Not used to it, huh? All this running around underground."

Kallen shook her head and absent-mindedly looked at a spot between her feet where she sat. She seemed distracted, and Suzaku picked up on this right away.

"Is something wrong? I mean, besides the obvious of being wanted criminals." He chuckled sheepishly.

"I've been living a double life for a long time, actually. It's not that different, once you get used to it."

"Ah, I suppose so. What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to C.C. Where is she?"

Suzaku scratched the back of his head. "C.C.?" He closed the binder he was flipping through and began to replace it on the bookshelf.

"The last time I remember seeing her was during the attack on the Ikaruga. I doubt we'll be seeing any more of her though. She was with Lelouch, not me."

His personal intercom chimed with the voice of a familiar female. "Zero, we've got a potential problem in the generator room. Engineering reports two of the Sakuradite turbines are a bit sluggish. We haven't finished installing the fourth generator, so we're only running on one generator. In the event of an attack, I don't think our shields would last long. Recommend we land and activate our cloak until repairs are finished."

Kallen's voice crackled over the intercom but he didn't process the actual content of the message. He heard her over the intercom. Kallen. She was in his room.

If she was in his room, who was talking to him from the bridge?

The realization hit him like a wall of bricks and froze him in his tracks. Adrenaline shot through his body as his mind produced dozens of answers, none that made sense.

"Who are you?"

Suzaku's pistol unholstered itself. Its owner clicked off the safety, his intent obvious.

"What are you talking about? It's me, Kallen!" The girl began to slowly back away, her expression confused.

"Then why do I hear Kallen talking to me from the bridge?"

Kallen let out an uncharacteristically wide grin. "You're sharper than I thought."

A throwing knife materialized in her palm and she flung the weapon in Suzaku's direction.

"Shit!"

Thanks to his inhuman reflexes, he saw the threat coming from a mile away, allowing him to duck out of the way behind a sofa. The knife clanged off of the wall behind him, where it left a shallow gash. His retreat gave Kallen all the time she needed to draw her own weapon and fire several rounds.

"Gunfire...? Zero, what's going on down there?"

"Send for backup, my quarters!"

Suzaku knew he couldn't hide behind the plush sofa for long, and fired several rounds of suppressing fire. Kallen, on the opposite side of the room, ducked behind an overturned table while changing magazines.

Zero's mask still sat on the desk, its violet shield no longer protecting its wearer's identity. From his spot behind the couch, Suzaku could see the mask, almost within reach.

"Hey, are you alright?" A Black Knights security guard ran up to Suzaku while aiming a pistol in the direction of the other Kallen.

"Yeah, I should-what the hell?!"

"On your feet, Kururugi!" He could feel a drop of saliva land on his cheek as the person hissed out orders. A pistol was pressed to his temple and someone dragged him to his feet.

"Rgh...who are you? What are you doing? Answer me!" Suzaku demanded angrily. He looked over at his desk and realized with dismay that his mask was not in place. If the security team ran in on him now, his cover would be blown.

"Well, I'm obviously not a Black Knights security guard. Heh heh..."

The voice behind him taunted him. He tried to turn his head around to get a clearer view of his captor, but the increase in pressure from the pistol barrel told him that he wasn't supposed to see anything.

"What are you?" Suzaku growled at the fake Kallen, or Black Knights guard, or whoever the hell this person was.

"Why, a shape-shifter of course. Now, there's something I need you to d-"

Suzaku simultaneously drove his elbow backwards while using his other arm to shove the pistol off of his head. His right hand gripped firmly around the shape-shifter's armed wrist, he forcefully jerked his assailant's arm downwards, using his shoulder as a pivot point, his wrist as the force, and the attacker's arm as the lever arm. The result was a severely dislocated elbow for the one unfortunate enough to cross paths with the _fitness_ _nut._

With a shrill cry, not befitting of a burly security guard or an indestructible Kallen, the person behind Suzaku dropped the weapon. For good measure, he whirled around on his the balls of his right foot, sending his left foot five feet into the air, where heel collided with skull.

"What the hell...?"

When he finally was faced with his attacker, he was surprised by the sight that confronted him. His attacker was a woman with shoulder-length nightmare black hair. The force of the kick had sent her into unconsciousness and she lay on the floor, still clutching her limp right arm.

The door swished open and Suzaku lept for his desk with a yelp. Kallen barely saw a flash of light brown hair before quickly closing the door to his room. The security team looked at her, confused.

"What are you doing? We need to get in there!"

"He could be injured for all we know!"

Kallen's mind raced to find a suitable answer. "He's uh...he doesn't have his mask on yet!"

"How do you know that?"

"Whoa! You got to see his face?"

"Of course she did, she's his Ace, remember?"

"Aw, that's not fair..."

"I bet that other chick got to see his face too!"

"Who, Zero's mistress? The one with the green hair, right?"

Kallen screamed at them, breaking their discourse. "Will you all just shut up?!"

His mask now in place, Zero opened the doors to find a group of security guards arguing amongst themselves. An annoyed Kallen stood off to the side, rubbing her face into her hand.

"I believe I called for a security team, not the circus." Zero's icy voice snapped all of them to attention.

He jerked a thumb to the woman in his room. "Put her in the detention block. She's a shape-shifter."

"A shape-shifter, you say?" Kallen glanced over at the woman as the security team flooded the room.

"Thursdays, B period. Where do you usually sit?" She hissed through clenched teeth. Zero looked down and realized a blade was poking his gut, threatening to bleed him to death.

"I, uh...second row, aisle seat!"

"Good answer."

The shiny blade sheathed itself, much to his relief. The guards were now dragging away the unconscious body toward the detention blocks.

"She's a shape-shifter, right? I had to be sure."

"Ah, of course."

"What did she want? And how did she manage to sneak onboard the ship?"

"She changed into someone who looked like you, actually. She asked me where C.C. was, though I'm not sure why she didn't simply assassinate me as soon as she walked into my room."

"Speaking of which, where has C.C. run off to?" Kallen asked.

"Funny you ask too. I'm not sure. The last I saw of her was during the attack on the Ikaruga. She must've slipped through the crowd in all the commotion. I guess the shape-shifter was looking for her too. But why? And for what reason would she run away?"

"Damn..." Kallen cursed to herself in a most unladylike fashion. "I could use some answers right about now."

"We all could." Zero mused. "I don't know what goes on inside her head. She was Lelouch's accomplice, not mine."

"Wouldn't she realize that her sudden disappearance would only raise more suspicions? Most of the Black Knights see her as Zero's partner. Only the senior staff of the Black Knights know the original Zero's identity."

"So if she left at the same time Lelouch died and a new Zero rose, it would seem that she was more of Lelouch's partner rather than Zero's." Suzaku continued for her. "In other words, her disappearance confirms that the new Zero is not the old one."

"She must be trying to run from the Dark Phoenixes on her own; she has nothing to tie herself back to the Black Knights. Not to mention she's an..." Kallen's voice trailed off.

Immortal. That's what she meant to say. C.C. is an immortal who is looking for someone to pass her immortality off to so that she can finally die. Suzaku might not be prepared for this. Quite frankly, shewasn't even prepared for hearing it either. Lelouch sure did attract a strange variety of women, herself not really included.

"She's a what?" Suzaku asked.

"She...had previous dealings with the Code-R research team." Kallen finally found something substantial to reinforce her hesitation with.

"I need to know more about their history. She was the closest to them out of all of us." Zero affirmed.

"There is another way..."

"What?"

Kallen pointed in the direction of the detention cells. "The shapeshifter."

...

"Attempted assassination of a military leader, unlawful possession of a firearm, breaking and entering, suspicion of espionage, accessory to the murder of several Pendragon personel...you get my drift? The military can lock you up for a long time for this."

The woman across the interrogation table only grinned. "Well that could be some trouble now, wouldn't it? Word has it you guys aren't with the military anymore."

Kallen grinned in return. "That's right. It also means that we aren't bound by military codes for humane treatment of prisoners."

The shape-shifter was still unfazed. Her grin widened. "Try me."

Kallen kicked the chair out from under the assassin, who landed on her back, bound to the chair. The Ace drew a pistol that she pointed at the woman's foot. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with the power of Geass and her body morphed into the form of Kallen's late brother, Naoto.

"Hello, dear sister." 'Naoto' smiled evily, though despite the demonic grin, he looked in every sense like Kallen's brother. She gasped as the hand holding the pistol began to tremble. Hardening her resolve, she supported it by clasping the pistol with both hands.

"You...change back...now!" Her shaking voice made her tone lose its weight.

"What are you talking about, Kallen? It's me! I'm finally home." The shape-shifter taunted her further.

A figure stepped out from the dark corner. "I don't have time for this!" Zero, or Suzaku rather, flew into the air and landed a perfect helicopter kick into the chest of the fake Naoto. Kallen grimaced as she turned away. No matter how fake he was, she couldn't bear to see Zero injure the image of her brother. Naoto chuckled, and his face was replaced once more by the woman's.

"You have Geass...who gave it to you?" Zero shook her shoulders.

"No one."

"How do we know this is your true form?"

"Well, it doesn't matter, really. You need my information, not my appearance. Then again, maybe you prefer to talk to someone else. A deceased loved one, perhaps? Who was the princess who massacred the Japanese? Euphemia was her name, wasn't it?"

Kallen's eyes widened in shock. How had she figured out who Zero's true identity? It then occurred to her that the woman had seen Suzaku without Zero's mask while in his room.

"You wouldn't dare!"

Her eyes glowed with the redness of Geass, but a vise-like grip on her throat halted her progress as she began to gasp for air.

"Tell us what you know about Code-R and the Geass Directorate!"

She chuckled, despite her difficulty breathing. "All you had to do was ask. Or is etiquette lost amongst the likes of terrorists? Let's make a deal. I give you all the information you want, and in return, you give me something I want."

"What is it that you want?"

Kallen nodded toward Zero, who pulled the chair upright. He pulled up a chair for himself, and Kallen joined him at the other end of the table.

"I'll tell you at the conclusion of this meeting."

Kallen folded her arms on the table. "How do you know we won't cheat you?"

She looked unimpressed. "Take my compliance as a gesture of good faith. You see, the thing I request-" Her piercing eyes seemed to penetrate Zero's mask. "-it cannot be acquired so easily. Presenting my request now won't affect the speed at which it is granted."

Zero nodded to Kallen.

"We accept."

"Who do you work for? The Code-R team or the Geass Directorate?" Kallen's voice returned its cool.

"Neither. If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, Code-R and the Geass Directorate joined to form the Dark Phoenixes."

"The same group that attacked Pendragon?"

"Attacked? My, that's a mild word. I'd say *obliterated is a much more accurate term. And yes, the very same."

"You will, by the way, answer for your war crimes."

She opened her mouth in mock surprise. "Why, I think they would be more busy hunting you deserters down, don't you think? Besides, I had nothing to do with the attack."

Zero waved her insult aside with a gloved hand. "I'm much more interested in how you acquired your Geass power. Who gave it to you?"

"I acquired my powers from the research team you know as Code-R."

"Details."

"You certainly ask a lot of questions. If you must know, I underwent a medical procedure that exchanged all the blood in my system for a new Geass-infused serum. I also had to undergo several bone marrow injections of the serum, to make sure my body didn't start producing normal blood."

"You mean you don't have any more of your original blood? How is that even possible?" Kallen demanded. But now that she saw her up close, she could see a small cut on her temple that oozed a strange glistening substance that seemed like blood. Upon further inspection, it seemed to be constantly changing colors.

"It's possible, alright. You didn't actually think that years and years of research would be for nothing, did you?"

"Feasible or not, this doesn't explain how the serum is created."

"Well, you didn't ask. In all honesty, I don't know."

Zero leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. He had little experience with the properties of Geass, aside from being put under an influence by Lelouch. Yet another reason he needed to talk to C.C. Apparently, the Dark Phoenixes were looking for her too. But why?

"Are there others like yourself? Others who receive Geass through a medical operation?"

"Why, of course. You've already met another."

"Who?"

The woman let out a snort. "How do you people expect to survive against a power you know nothing of? Let me give you a hint: you killed him."

"Kallen's assassin?"

"Well that took a while. Did you hurt yourself by thinking too hard?"

Kallen's fist slammed down on the table, but Zero held her arm, sending a message of disapproval.

"What was his Geass power? He seemed to know where I was all the time."

"We all called it the 'Ehanced Sixth-Sense'. He could see the limits of anyone's field of vision. As you could imagine, that would make infiltration a piece of cake."

"Who is 'we'?"

"I'm a part of a specialist team composed entirely of people who have been given the Geass serum."

"You've been giving us a lot of helpful information." Zero mused. "What would you want from us? Don't you report to the Dark Phoenixes?"

"My team and I are no longer a part of the Dark Phoenixes. We're all fed up with doing all of their dirty work. Not to mention we are all dying."

"You're dying?" Kallen observed her with more scrutiny.

"Yes, I'm dying. The Geass serum isn't always completely compatible with the host. Sometimes, like in my case, the body slowly rejects the serum. Sooner or later, I'll start to degenerate at a much faster pace than a normal human being. Then again, it's not like the Dark Phoenixes will care. I'm disposable to them. So you see? I want their destruction the same as you."

"You want revenge."

The woman let out a short laugh, which was more of a grunt. "I'm impressed. You came up with an answer all on your own. How much effort did that take?"

"More effort than it would take to kill you, I'll give you that much." Zero's eyebrow shot up underneath his mask in reaction to Kallen's threat.

"That would be counter-productive. You'll need me in order to beat them. Now, I believe it is time for my request to be put in order."

"What do you want?" Kallen's question was more of a statement.

The corners of her lips turned up in a grin. "Blood. I need the blood of a certain someone in order to live forever. You probably know her as C.C."

Now it was Zero's turn to be shocked. "C.C.? Why would you need her blood to become immortal?"

"Why indeed? You're certainly a slow one."

"You can't mean...C.C. is immortal?"

The woman shifted her attention to Kallen.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes...I knew." Kallen admitted.

"You knew?" Zero looked over at Kallen. "For how long?"

"Just recently. I found her clearing out some of her stuff from...*his appartment."

"Why didn't you inform me?"

Kallen let out a sigh. "I would've told you if it became relevant."

"-which it just did." Zero added.

"-anyway!" The woman interrupted. "I only came here to find the location of C.C. I gave you information, so now, where is she?"

Zero turned his gaze to Kallen, who leaned back in her chair. It let out a slight creak as it gave beneath her movements.

"You know," Kallen started slowly. "someone once told me that life has no meaning without death. Without death, life has no purpose. Just like dark and light, one can't-"

"-one can't live without the other, yes, I understand." The woman interrupted and finished. "But you see, without her blood, we will all die much quicker than we should."

"Much quicker than you should? Who said you get to live as long as any other human being, after all the crimes you committed?" Kallen roared, jumping out of her chair. "Why should we help keep you alive and betray one of our own? Huh?"

"Because that was the deal, wasn't it?"

Zero finally spoke. "Sorry, but I tend to break my promises."

The woman's eyes glowed with the fire of hatred. "You filthy liar!" She spat.

Zero nodded to Kallen, and they rose from their seats at the same time.

"We warned you about trusting us. And quite frankly, we couldn't trust you either. Goodbye."

"Why you...!"

Zero and Kallen walked through the doors of the interrogation room when a shout coming from within stopped them.

"Hey!"

They both turned around to face the artificial Geass user.

"What if I told you Lelouch is still alive?"

...


	5. Chapter 5 - Scars and Memories

...

A/N: Greetings! I've decided that it would be best if I released shorter chapters but at a faster pace, so that I don't torture you guys with extremely long update times. This chapter is about half as long as the usual 6k word count, but the updates should come faster!

Also, I have found a beta reader by the name Ghibli Ninja! Thank you for being my first beta reader!

...

Chapter 5 - Scars and Memories

...

The scar ran jagged along his chest, being the only form of proof he was supposed to be dead. It resembled the Geass crest, which was reminiscent of an origami crane viewed from the front, head-on.

The faucet, though turned off, still dripped rhythmically. Water droplets which had collected at the end of the spigot made their way down to the metal drain below, where they burst into smaller beads upon impact. It was upon the cold white ceramic of the basin that Lelouch's hands rested.

His body was slightly bent over the sink. Droplets of water still clung to his moist hair, which faintly smelled of fresh shampoo. A pair of violet eyes stared back at him through the steamed mirror. His attention was turned downward to the mark on his chest. He observed the scar through the mirror in anticipation, as if waiting for a wretched monster to burst from the wound.

His shaky fingers were raised and slowly brought to his scar. As he ran his hand over the healing tissue, he felt his mind being forcibly sucked out of his body into another time.

His vision cleared as he realized he was no longer in the hotel bathroom. Where the mirror should have sat stood a person.

That person was Zero.

Or rather, Suzaku Kururugi. The gleaming sword that was soon to be dirtied was plunged through his chest with a single stroke, piercing skin, flesh, cartilage, and heart. He felt no pain, for how could he? The pain was the past, and this scar was all that remained. The sword was swiftly removed from his body with a flick, and Lelouch's vision returned to the present.

He gasped as his unbalanced body pitched forward and he braced himself on the sink. He held up the palm that had crossed over his scar while observing it with curiosity.

"It will continue to give you visions of your first death until you seal the scar using the powers of the Code."

Lelouch looked up in the mirror where a pair of amber eyes materialized through the fog. C.C. stood in the bathroom doorway behind Lelouch. She had gone unnoticed for much of the time he was analyzing his Geass-shaped scar.

He sighed and stared back into his eyes in the mirror. Though he was glad to finally see the true color of his eyes once more, he felt so _powerless_. His only weapon, Geass, had been taken away from him. He was now doomed to live out eternity in a tainted world. His main source of annoyance and yet his only source of comfort lay with the lime-haired witch, who was now observing him with keen interest through the mirror.

"How do I do that?" Lelouch asked the face in the mirror.

"The process is quite difficult to explain. It would be much easier if I simply did it for you," C.C. answered.

Steam had begun to seep out of the bathroom, which in turn had heated the entire hotel room. C.C. shifted her jacket in attempts to shake off the heat and humidity.

"Turn around." She ordered.

Lelouch complied and turned around to face the witch. She approached him but stopped at an arm's length away from his body. Cautiously, she raised a slender hand which she placed on Lelouch's chest, directly above the scar. His breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact.

"This may feel...uncomfortable."

"I'll bet." Lelouch coughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" C.C. looked up at him.

"Nothing."

"Alright. Well, here goes..."

The Geass crane printed across C.C.'s forehead glowed bright red as her eyes shot open. Lelouch's eyes also shot open as he felt a searing pain spread across his chest. He grunted as the pain steadily increased. It felt as if someone was cauterizing his wound, burning it shut with a small flame.

"Stay still." She muttered. "I don't want to miss."

He forced his shoulders to relax and his breathing to steady as C.C. began finishing the sealing process. The pain began to subside and he relaxed further. Finally, the Geass crane emblazoned on C.C.'s forehead dimmed until it lost its color completely. She stepped back, her work completed.

The mark started out as a dark red, but was now fading to a light pink one would find after a scab has been peeled off. He looked down at his bare chest and placed a hand over his fading scar. No unwanted vision trespassed upon his mind.

"Thank you, C.C." He stepped back into the bathroom where he pulled a button-up shirt over his shoulders.

"Don't mention it." She smirked. "You're just lucky you have someone who understands the powers of the Code. I had to figure out how to stop the visions by myself."

Lelouch emerged from the bathroom. The steam was finally clearing, and streaks left by the water vapor hung on the once-clear mirror. Droplets still clung to his hair and he grabbed a towel to remedy this problem.

"How long did it take you to figure out how to stop the visions from coming?" He buried his head into the bath towel, vigorously drying out his hair.

She in turn brushed aside a stray lock of lime hair. "I don't remember. It was at least a year, I dare say."

"You had those visions for a year?" He sounded shocked.

"Hm, a year." She tapped a thoughtful finger on her chin. "Yes, that sounds about right."

"That's quite a long time."

"It is."

C.C., who was now sitting on the edge of their bed, beckoned Lelouch to sit beside her. He slowly walked over and lowered himself onto the thin mattress.

"Place your hand on my shoulder."

"What?" Lelouch turned to face her in alarm.

"Do as I say."

He placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder, his palm barely making contact or applying any form of pressure.

"Oh come now, Lelouch. When a girl asks you to hold her shoulder, is this how you react? Why do your schoolmates go crazy over you? Here, like this."

She took her own hand and placed it on top of his, firmly securing it atop her shoulder. With both her arms occupied, she resorted to flipping her hair over her shoulder as another loose strand fell to obscure her vision.

"Now, I want you to think of the most horrible moment in your life."

"What are you trying to make me do? I don't want to remember any of that!"

Though against his will, images flashed through his unprepared mind. The moment he thought he had lost Nunnally to the FJLEIA weapon, the moment he knelt beside Shirley as the life departed her body, the moment he had no choice but to use Geass to order Nunnally to relinquish the FJLEIA detonator, and most recently, the moment of his death.

"You have anything yet? With all the people you've killed, it shouldn't be that hard to recall a terrible moment, eh?" She turned to face Lelouch, expecting to elicit an annoyed reaction. Instead, she saw his gaze shift to the floor, his head drooping. Too soon did she realize the mistake in her playful remark.

A mixture of guilt and remorse settled in her stomach as she remembered how she was the one who had thrust his fate upon him from the moment they met. In her eyes, she was the lone being responsible for all the tragedy in his life.

If her world hadn't unceremoniously collided with his, perhaps Shirley would have survived. Perhaps he and Suzaku would remain friends, not become mortal enemies. Perhaps the student council could look past the false exterior shell of royalty and see not the Demon Emperor of Britannia, but instead recognize the man who had once been a part of their tight circle of friends.

If her world had not collided with his, perhaps he would not be doomed to live an eternity as a mere teenager who had murdered his way to the top in order to become the Emperor of Britannia. If only...

But her world _had_ in fact collided with his. That was the past, and his scar was all that remained. The past cannot be changed, only gazed upon in hindsight. Both immortals knew this all too well.

"I'm sorry."

This caught Lelouch's attention. The stubborn witch was actually apologizing for insulting him? This was new. "You don't have to think of anything. I...you don't have to."

His response surprised her.

"I...I think I have something."

...

_A week before the Zero Requiem_

Lelouch held out the helmet in his arms. Suzaku looked at it, studying it, before accepting it. As his fingers grasped the cold surface, he realized how heavy it was. The mask was heavy with the sins of a man who could not be forgiven. In a week, it would become heavier as its owner's blood was to be painted down the side of the mask.

"You will wear this at all times. You're a symbol of hope now, Suzaku."

"I...alright."

The helmet was the final piece of the costume Lelouch had given to him. Lelouch stood and faced Suzaku, who was now dressed in Zero's cape and a customized Black Knights uniform. Suzaku stared into the reflection of his face that became distorted by the curvature of the mask. Though it was the last part of the costume, Lelouch still had one more item to hand over.

"This is the last piece of the Zero Requiem. Once this is over and completed, the world will be at peace. You are to usher them into this new era of happiness."

Lelouch drew aside a part of his regal cloak to reveal a long and ornate sabre. This he pulled from the sheath buckled at his hip and held out in his hands. Suzaku's hand hovered toward the hilt of the sword, but stopped as he dropped his arm halfway.

"I...I can't do this!"

"You must!" Lelouch thrust the sword toward him, begging him to accept it.

"I don't care who you've become or what you've done, but I'm not killing my best friend!"

Unbeknownst to both of them, a certain witch watched on from the shadows. Suzaku was to kill Lelouch? The words hit her like a ton of bricks. Fortunately, she was immortal. Unfortunately, she was still immortal.

"Remember what we said before? Together, we can accomplish anything. There has to be another way we can do this."

"I...there is no other-!"

"Yes, there is." She finally spoke as she walked into the presence of the two conspirators.

"C.C.! What are-?"

"Lelouch. Did you forget about our contract so easily? You can't die and leave me yet! We still have to finish our contract."

Suzaku looked at both of them, very much confused. "Contract? Lelouch, what is she talking about?"

Lelouch tried to glare C.C. into silence, but to no avail.

"We have a contract, Lelouch. You and I are accomplices. You made a promise to me. You can't forget that."

Lelouch panicked. He could not allow Suzaku to be made aware of C.C.'s true nature, or their contract. If he accepted the final part of the contract, Suzaku would know he had become immortal. The meaning of the Zero Requiem would be lost on him. No, he had to die for the world, once and for all. He had cheated death at the cost of others far too many times. The words he would have to deliver to keep the Zero Requiem functioning would pain him.

"C.C., I don't know what contract or promise you are talking about. Leave me at once. This is a direct order from the Emperor of Britannia."

She was stunned that Lelouch would order her out of his presence. She grew angry at his refusal to recognize their contract, or even his personal promise to her, for that matter. How could he do this? She was offering him a way out of death and he would brush it aside, along with their contract.

"Fine, Lelouch. Go kill yourself. Just remember your promise to me as you die alone without any friends."

She stormed out of the room, and Lelouch could have sworn he heard a choked sob.

Lelouch winced as he delivered the harsh words of disownment. He deliberately denied their contract that he swore to keep, as well as his promise to her that she would die with a smile on her face. Neither would happen now that she had run off to God knows where. All to protect the Zero Requiem.

But what good was creating happiness for the world when the ones closest to you are unable to feel it? When the happiness of the world is caused by your actions but comes at the expense of your friends, should you really follow through? Lelouch was unsure of how to proceed.

"When the time comes, Suzaku, run me through with this sword." He hardened his resolve and Suzaku reluctantly accepted the blade. Happiness, Lelouch decided, would come at a small cost to his friends.

...

Lelouch walked through the palace halls, his step more even now that his royal sabre had been removed. The heels of his boots boomed and echoed throughout the quiet and empty halls. He came to the entrance of his room, where the guards outside snapped to attention and saluted. He waved them aside as he walked through the doors.

He sat on the edge of his chair, removing his ridiculous pillow of a hat. He set it aside on a bust, so that it would keep its shape. He really didn't care about what it looked like. He was not some posh royal figure who demanded to look and be treated like royalty. In truth, he hated the throne. In the palace, he was held back from the front lines of change, serving as a figurehead for the most powerful empire in the world. He couldn't politick when everyone around him quivered in fear at his voice. No, that would not do.

"C.C., I..." His voice trailed off as he stepped into the massive bedroom. This was her favorite area to lounge and do nothing, particularly because of the oversized bed, and also because of the nearby telephone that could be used to order pizza. This time however, she was nowhere in sight.

He looked toward the bed, where he often found her either asleep or eating pizza, and found it empty and crumb-less. He looked toward the bathroom door, and found it opened and unoccupied. He looked to the royal couch that had too many designer pillows to be actually useful. Every one of them was in place, undisturbed as no one had bothered to sit down on it.

She was gone.

Affer all, he ordered it so. He was the Emperor of Britannia, the one who could order anyone to do anything, mind you, not because of Geass, and his first command had been for his one and only companion to leave. She, who had stuck by his side through thick and thin, near death or dealing death, was gone. The worst part was he ordered it to be so. It all came back on his own head.

"Rah!" He bellowed in anger. He threw his jacket at the bedside table where it swept off an assortment of odds and ends that had collected there. His jacket which had dragged other objects with it landed on the floor with a crash. He ran up and kicked the bed frame for good measure.

"My lord! Is there-?"

"Did I say you could enter? Leave me!" Lelouch roared at the cowering guards who had dared to run into the Emperor's bedchamber.

"We apologize, majesty! Please forgive us! Please forgive us! Please forgive..." They continued bowing and backing out of the room, their pleas for forgiveness growing fainter. Once they crossed over the threshold of the entrance, they quickly closed the double doors, resulting in a loud bang.

He slumped down on the bed which buckled beneath his weight. He felt trapped inside of this palace. He couldn't do anything without guards breaking into his presence, asking if anything went wrong. His personal troupe of managers, secretaries, and bodyguards were to follow him around wherever he went.

Evening was rolling in, and Lelouch felt more alone than ever. Of course, he could always order some form of entertainment from his royal subjects, but it would only make him feel less human than he already was. Who decided if someone had more authority than the next? Those with more authority decided, of course. But who decided who those people would be?

He sat at his desk and pulled out a piece of paper from his stationary pad. Selecting a pen, he began to write.

...

"Well you're someone I wasn't expecting to see here." The girl across the table munched on a slice of thin-crust pizza.

"Your movements are quite predictable. Once I cleared my head, it was easy to find your location." The boy explained.

"Hmph." She took another bite of pizza before dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Am I really that predictable?"

"Quite."

The 24-hour Pizza Hut was still bustling with activity even this late at night. The red and blue neon 'Open' sign glowed as a beacon of hope to pizza lovers and fanatics alike. Behind the counter, cashiers were swiping cards, giving change, and taking orders. A loudspeaker built into the ceiling called out numbers people's orders were assigned to. The clicks and buzzing sounds of the soda fountain could be heard throughout the restaurant as people refilled drinks. To C.C., this was her second home.

That is, if she had a first home.

"May I?" Lelouch reached for the box of pizza.

"I thought you hated pizza."

"I think I'm getting used to it."

"In that case, help yourself." She pushed the box closer to him.

"What are you doing here anyway? If someone sees you here-"

"They won't. I made sure no one would see my face."

"So what do you want from me?"

"Your forgiveness."

She looked up at him in between bites. With an eyebrow raised, she placed the slice in her hand back onto the plate. She raised the glass of water and took a small drink.

"My forgiveness. Now, that's an odd thing to ask of an exiled person."

"I didn't exile you...I just..."

"Ordered me from your presence. Alright, I exaggerated." She admitted. "My point is, you're right. I shouldn't be looking around trying to pass off my immortality to some unsuspecting victim."

Lelouch let out a long sigh. "I didn't come here to take your Code away. I came only to ask your forgiveness for abandoning you like this. Within the next week, I'll have passed onto the next world. I'm sorry I couldn't complete our contract. If you don't forgive me, I understand completely. Just know that I am truly sorry for leaving you behind. I'll be going now."

As he got up to leave, she placed her hand over his arm, halting him. He looked back in surprise.

"Wait for a moment."

She gathered up her belongings, which included her favorite giant Cheese-kun plush. She stood up from her table in the back room of the Pizza Hut and began to follow Lelouch out.

He drew up his hood as he exited the front entrance of the Pizza Hut. Once outside, he offered his arm to her. Surprised, she accepted.

They walked down the street like this, arm in arm. C.C. was careful to draw up her own hood as to avoid any possible paparazzi who might be following them.

"I forgive you."

She felt the arm she was holding relax a bit as Lelouch forgave himself as well.

...


	6. Chapter 6 - Still Human

...

Chapter 6 - Still Human

...

Silence reigned in Kallen's quarters as she stared up into the ceiling. Her usually spiked hair was splayed across her pillow and she spun her Knightmare frame key around on a finger. Clockwise, catch. Flip, counter-clockwise, catch. Repeat until epiphany is reached.

...

"What if I told you Lelouch was alive?"

Kallen and Zero froze in their tracks and quickly looked at each other for counsel. The room turned a deathly quiet and one could almost hear the harsh lights buzzing in the ceiling. The dull drone of the generators a few decks below could be heard throughout the entire ship.

"That's not...possible." Kallen hissed at the woman, without even turning around to face her.

Zero, on the other hand, kept a more open mind.

"Explain how that would be possible when I stabbed him with my own hands."

He racked his brain for his meetings with Lelouch prior to his death. Not once did he mention anything about rising after his assassination. Or did he? Suzaku's head spun as he forced himself to remember anything he might have mentioned, even if it was a dismissable joke.

Zero turned around and slowly walked back into the room from whence they came. Kallen looked at him in alarm.

"Zero! What are you doing? She's trying to play you!"

The woman scoffed. "Correct, you are being played, though I assure you not by me."

She looked at Zero and addressed him.

"You really don't understand the powers of the Geass, do you? Pity." Was her response when she received no sign that either of them knew what she was talking about.

"C.C. is an immortal. Lelouch is not." Kallen stated.

"Wrong. Now are you going to guess over and over until your mind can think no further? I'm the one with all the answers."

"I'm not going to sacrifice a comrade just to play games with you!" Kallen shouted angrily.

"It's quite obvious to me that you want to learn the truth about Lelouch. Of course, you saw the man die by Zero's hand, but why would you even consider the possibility he is alive is quite odd indeed. Feeling sentimental, are we?"

Zero finally sat at the table, across from the woman.

"What's your name?" He started.

"My callsign with my unit is Mercury."

"That makes sense for you. Mercury is a metal that is liquid at room temperature and can take any shape it is poured into." Zero mused.

"Precisely. It is also toxic if consumed." She glared at Kallen who glared in return.

"Is it possible he is alive?"

"Possible? Oh, more than possible. Isn't it obvious? C.C. left because she's on the run with Lelouch."

"What proof do you have to back your preposterous claim?"

"C.C. possesses a gift of immortality. Lelouch's Geass he received from her allows him to eventually take over her immortality once his power reaches a certain potency."

"That's only a possibility. How do we know for sure that Lelouch took her immortality?"

"The government tried to keep this under wraps, but luckily for us, there are always a few who can't keep their mouths shut. A report by a Johnathan Barnes says that Lelouch rose from his coffin and stuffed him inside it instead. His coworkers confirm the story, stating they could not find the Emperor's body anywhere."

"Media hoax." Kallen rejected.

"Are you thinking about this objectively? You seem to be highly opposed to the idea that he survived."

"You're just trying to use our emotions as leverage to find C.C.!"

A light on the woman's wrist began to flash red. She looked down at the light and swore softly.

"What the hell is that light?" Zero demanded.

"My team is wondering why I've taken so long. Let me talk to them. We can call a temporary alliance. We help you defeat the Dark Phoenixes, you give us Lelouch and C.C., or whichever one is immortal."

"We have no guarantee we can find them." Kallen countered. "Or that we will betray them."

Mercury let out a sigh. "I suppose you're stubborn enough that you won't ever betray your friends. I wouldn't be surprised if you already knew Lelouch was alive along with his current location, but were keeping quiet to protect his hiding spot."

Kallen's eyebrows knitted together in an angry glare. "Believe me, if I knew he was alive, I would've killed that bastard with my own hands a long time ago!"

The light on Mercury's wrist, which had stopped flashing a while ago, had begun to flash again, this time with an orange light.

"My team is looking for me. Let me go, and I'll help you destroy the Phoenixes."

"Why do we have to let you go? We can go looking for Lelouch and C.C. while you sit comfortably in this detention cell." Zero grinned tauntingly, though his mask covered his expression.

"I have a GPS locator implanted in my hip that lets them know exactly where I am. If I don't respond in the next thirty seconds, they'll send someone to investigate. My team can and will destroy this ship inside and out looking for me. They're nothing like the undisciplined pawns the Britannian military sends your way. Whether you want that is up to you."

Zero looked at Kallen, expecting some sign of approval or otherwise, though she gave none. Taking a deep breath, Zero nodded to the Geass user across the table.

"I accept. You will help us destroy the Dark Phoenixes, _after_ which we will give you Lelouch and C.C."

"Zero! What are you thinking? We can't just-!"

Zero held up his hand, silencing her. The woman smiled before she jerked her wrist which was still attached to the ropes. The small movement was enough to change the light from orange to green.

"Mercury to base, I'm fine. C.C. isn't here, but be aware that we have new temporary allies."

She shook her wrist again, and the light disappeared.

"Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

She stood from the table, the ropes falling off of her wrists and ankles. Zero and Kallen gaped at the sight. Since when did she cut the ropes?

...

_Present day_

"I...I think I have something."

C.C. looked at him surprised. His hand still lay under her own, on top of her shoulder.

"Do you mind me asking which memory it was?"

Lelouch thought for a moment. There shouldn't be any harm in telling C.C. the memory he had just relived, but for some reason, he decided against it. Perhaps it was because the memory was directly connected to her that he thought it best not to tell her.

But why hadn't he remembered the memory of Shirley dying? Or even when he believed Nunnally to be dead? Why is it that his mind chose to vividly remember the moment he chose to desert C.C.? He had a theory, though he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I'd rather not tell you my memory..." He finally said.

"Well you're quite the secretive one, aren't you?" She smiled only a ghost of a smile. "You know, we're still accomplices. Your immortality doesn't change that. You can trust me with anything."

"Of course I can." It was Lelouch's turn to smile. "Though I'm not sure if I want you to know what my memory was."

C.C. nodded her head with understanding.

"Very well. Now, close your eyes and focus on that memory."

"But why-"

"Do as I say. I'm training you to harness the powers of Code."

"You mean even Code-bearers have abilities the same way Geass users do?"

"Of course. How else do you think I first made Suzaku go mad when I touched the Lancelot?"

"If I recall, you used shock images to force him to relive his past...but when I touched your shoulder on accident, I also saw the pains of your past...wait a minute!"

Lelouch yanked his hand out of her gentle grasp and jumped off of the bed. She stared at him in alarm.

"You're teaching me how to use shock images! And you're having me train my abilities on you!"

"Don't worry, I won't go mad like Suzaku did." She didn't even try to deny her intentions. "You're not going to be an expert the first time using your shock images, so they should be weak enough for me to suppress them before they do any damage to my mind."

"Damage to your mind? What if my shock images are more powerful than you expect? What if I can't control them?"

She merely shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You'll do fine."

"No! I refuse to use my shock images on you!"

She smirked. "What's wrong, Lelouch? Scared of hurting a little girl?"

"Witch." He corrected. "And of course I don't want to hurt you."

"Well that's touching that you care about me. But really, you're quite useless without your Geass. I at least have to train you how to use your new powers."

"I'm not useless!" Now he was just offended.

"Even with your Geass, I still had to bail you out of countless messes. Shall I list them?"

"Oh no..."

Lelouch held his head in his hands as he collapsed at the desk. His fingers moved toward his ears as C.C. began to list the dozens (dozens according to C.C., not him) of times his accomplice had saved his life. She sure did like to gloat and hold the occurences over his head.

"The first time was before you even had Geass, so that alone proves my point of how useless you are without your powers. Remember how I had to jump in front of that bullet for you?"

"Yes, I remember...but I also remember saving your life by rescuing you from your capsule. That was also without Geass."

She waved aside his last comment as if she didn't care.

"Well after that, I had to dress up in your stuffy outfit to give the soldiers something to shoot at. After that, I even had to fall over a three-story building. Do you know how much that hurts?"

"No, but I also remember how you tried to keep me from fighting by threatening to shoot out my knee caps."

She again waved him aside.

"Yes, well you were being quite stubborn."

"As were you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, I had to save your life by going out to distract Mao. He would have had Shirley kill you, given the chance."

"Mao. Of course I remember him. But I also remember saving you from a gruesome fate in that theme park. I had to pretend we were in love to infuriate him so that his concentration would be ruined. That was after he incapacitated you by shooting you multiple times."

"And I'm sure you enjoyed pretending we were in love, didn't you?" Her smirk was probably the easiest thing Lelouch had ever predicted in the history of what he had predicted.

"Come on, Lelouch. I'm the only person in the world who is willing to be your temporary punching bag. You need to train your abilities if you want to fight the Phoenixes."

"I'm still not going to use my shock images on you. I'll find another way to fight."

She snorted. "How? With your fists? Your physical condition is so terrible that you got out-run by a teenage girl wearing a dress and heels. I don't know how you're going to live out eternity as a permanently-out-of-shape eighteen year old."

Lelouch was still indignant. "I can't bring myself to hurt you, even if you asked me to!"

He remembered the lonely days after C.C. had lost her memories during their visit to the Thought Elevator. He had lost his cool and accidentally lashed out at the amnesiac. The result was a pained frail girl Lelouch couldn't recognize and didn't want to ever see again. It was during those days he felt lonelier than ever, his one companion in the world erased and replaced by memories of some time foreign to him.

C.C. sighed. This boy really wasn't going to even let himself near her if he realized the potential damage he could cause. He had become so soft after losing everything that was dear to him. His own sister thought he was a mass murderer and a despised tyrant, while all his friends and comrades believed he was only using them and resented him as such.

"You leave me with no choice." She stepped forward from the bed and began to back him into a wall.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

He was silenced as a cold hand made its way to his neck. He twitched as his mind was yanked out of its shell once more. A familiar dreamy voice spoke inside his head.

"I haven't begun to feed you shock images yet. When I do, think of the happiest moment you can remember. Think about it and try to place yourself back there."

"What are you doing to me?"

"I'm teaching you defense since you seem to not want to learn offense. Now focus."

A barrage of memories violently assaulted his mind and forced their way into his vision. He was repeatedly faced with several images repeated over and over. Among those he could distinguish was the moment he was forced to pretend as if he and C.C. did not have a contract. He could still see the pain in her eyes as she was faced with the realization that she would once more be alone in this world.

He desperately tried to find a memory to focus on in order to counter the onslaught of shock images but found himself failing miserably. His heart raced as he thought he might go mad or insane, but he soon realized that neither was happening. Even when his mind was completely out of focus, no harm seemed to be coming to him. Either C.C. was purposely sending incredibly weak images, or...

"Are you trying to read my mind?"

With great effort, Lelouch mentally broke their connection and he slipped out of her grasp. The hotel room spun back into place around him and he glared at the witch. C.C.'s vision returned as well and she turned around to face him.

"Of course not." She stated innocently. Too innocently for Lelouch to believe.

"When you were inside my head, I felt something...though I don't know what it was. I do know what it felt like."

"What did it feel like?"

"It felt like someone was pulling something out of my head before stuffing it back inside. Almost as if they were looking for something."

She flopped down onto the bed, her arm lazily draped over the edge of the mattress. She stared up into the ceiling with a bored expression across her face.

"So you did feel it." Her question confirmed his suspicions.

"You were actually trying to look through my memories and thoughts? Why?"

From the bed, her head turned over toward him.

"I wanted to know what you thought the best and worst moments of your life. Curiosity, you could say."

"That's very rude, you know."

"What more did you expect from a witch?"

...

*Three hours before the Zero Requiem*

Lelouch straightened out his overcoat upon reaching the palace gates. His hood removed, he wanted to make himself presentable to those under his command. To the end of his days, he would have to deliver the impression that he was a cruel iron-fisted tyrant who didn't have need for anything else in the world except to rule and to be served.

The truth was quite opposite. For how can a king expect his subordinates to follow if he does not lead first?

The woman at his side also straightened herself out. As the Emperor's mistress, she had to also look as if her very being was under Lelouch's control. All for the sake of appearances, she supposed.

"Your majesty!"

The row of guards lined up against the front gate swiftly parted down the middle of their formation. They dropped their rifles into a lance-arms salute, left hands across their chests as the Emperor and his mistress walked through the gates, deliberately slowing down to inspect the soldiers.

"Posts!"

The gatehouse commander called out as soon as the pair was out of earshot and deep enough into the palace to dismiss possible outside threats to their safety. Internal safety was up to the Emperor's personal bodyguards, however.

The platoon of soldiers returned to their positions along the perimeter of the royal palace. All, including the gatehouse commander, breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Demon had passed. To them, fear of the Emperor trumped any outside threats they might face.

The palace walls did little more than to provide physical shelter to the recently-appointed Emperor of Britannia. Beyond that, they did not provide a home, per say, to the increasingly anxious Emperor. A home was something that comforted its owner after a long day of activity, a rough day at work, or in Lelouch's case, a day filled with organizing a massive rebellion army.

His legs grew heavy with each step he took toward his bedchambers. He was now aware of every single nerve in his body, noticing things he never noticed before, such as the way his left arm swung forward when his right foot stepped in front of his left. He could no longer breathe normally without thinking; every bodily action seemed to be under his complete control, the one exception being his racing heart and furiously pumping adrenal glands.

He stood in front of his massive dresser after having sent away his wardrobe manager. He could dress himself on his own, thank you very much. Once his small team of designers and tailors had shuffled through the now closed doorway, he hurriedly tore off his stiff jacket that prevented breathing. He fumbled with the buttons at his collar, his clammy hands never ceasing their shaking.

Air...he needed air...

His collar finally undone, his usually dexterous fingers worked on the cuffs of his sleeves. He then moved to the front buttons of his shirt in a desperate attempt to regain oxygen. Beads of sweat surfaced at his hairline, dripping down the sides of his face. His eyes stung and a single tear rolled down his cheek, where it mingled with his sweat.

He was about to simply tear off the stupid garment when he noticed a tap on his shoulder. He spun around instantly, his movements shaky and jittery with adrenaline. His head spun faster than his body did however, and he felt himself losing his balance.

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and he steadied himself. His dizziness passed, he looked into the questioning eyes of his seemingly concerned accomplice.

"You don't look well." Was her simple statement.

"I can't...I can't...I'm not ready to die-!"

Hands grasped the sides of Lelouch's face as C.C. pulled his face to her own in an unforseen but completely accepted kiss. His mind went blank as his lips melted against hers. He would have suffocated and died right there had he not regained his senses to pull away and breathe. They jumped apart.

"I can't...breathe..." He panted.

"Let me help you with that."

Their lips crashed together once more, and this time, Lelouch didn't feel even a slight need for breathing. Oxygen could wait its turn.

...

C.C. had the faintest ghost of a smile as she found which memory Lelouch tried hold onto as a defense for her shock images. It seems Code-bearers could still be human after all.

...


	7. Chapter 7 - Cat's out of the Bag(Almost)

...

A/N: Hi everyone, today is actually my birthday (whoop-dee-doo, another year older), and as a gift from me to you, I decided to release this chapter to you early! Happy reading!

...

Chapter 7 - Cat's out of the Bag (Almost)

...

"Yeah, I think I saw her. Green hair kinda stuck out in my mind, know what I'm sayin'? Why do you ask?"

Kallen set down the picture she held up in her hand.

"How often did she come here?"

The local Pizza Hut was still bustling with activity, even this late at night. People really liked their pizza, though none could match the level of affection a certain witch held for this holy delicacy. A display-only Cheese-kun sat atop a high shelf behind the cash registers, a sign stuck onto it reading, "Enter the monthly raffle to win a special edition Cheese-kun! See details at register before entering."

The cashier scratched his thin beard before answering. "Uh, she came here a few times, I think. Always picked up about four or five pizzas and carried around a huge Cheese-kun that we used to give out for last November's prize. For such a thin girl, I'm surprised at how much she could pick up, you know?"

Inwardly, Kallen wanted to make some snide comment on how immortals have it so easy, since they can eat whatever they want and not have to worry about their health, though she decided against voicing her opinions in order to not confuse the man.

"Thank you. Call this number if she comes here again."

"What? Hey, I don't think I'm allowed-"

"I'd like a refill."

Kallen placed a tall paper cup emblazoned with the Pizza Hut logo on top of the counter, then pushed it over to his side. The man looked at it curiously, then directed his attention back to the strange redhead across the counter.

He removed the plastic lid and reached into the cup, pulling out a slip of paper that had a number scribbled on it. Along with the paper came a rather generous wad of bills, held together by a thick rubber band. He grinned.

"I think I can do that."

"Have a nice day." Kallen turned swiftly and exited through the front door.

...

"Where are you going?"

Lelouch looked up from his complimentary newspaper supplied by the hotel. C.C. was pulling on her usual beige cap she always wore whenever she had to travel discreetly to cover her identity. Her distinct hair color was literally a target on the back of her head whenever she was running from the authorities. She bent over with one hand braced against the wall, the other pulling on her knee-high boots.

"Out." One word should sufficient.

"Out where?" Nevermind, one word wasn't sufficient.

"Out there." Was her cryptic reply. Hopefully two words would work this time.

Lelouch put down the paper completely, going to a nearby chair where he retrieved his hooded jacket. He had an even bigger reason to hide his identity. He still hadn't decided on what to call himself, since the name Lelouch was most certainly not safe.

"Where are _you _going?" C.C. asked. She had the audacity to demand where he was going when she came and went like a whisp of smoke on a whim?

"Out." He copied her reply.

"Out where?" She copied his.

"Wherever your _out there_ is."

"So you're following me?"

Lelouch nodded.

She sighed. "I'm going to Pizza Hut. I'm hungry."

"You could just order delivery. We wouldn't have to risk showing our faces."

"By the time the delivery gets here, it's always soggy. I'd much rather get it freshly baked from the source. And you can stay behind if you're worried about someone seeing you."

"No, I'm going with you, and you can't convince me otherwise." Lelouch was adamant in his response.

"Deciding to stick with me, hm, Lelouch?"

"Well we're accomplices aren't we?"

She laughed softly. "Yes, we certainly are. Shall we?" She clicked open the deadbolt on the door then swung it open.

...

The cashier looked up from his text messages. A curious looking girl strode up to the counter, followed by a tall and thin teenager, though he kept his distance from her and sat down at a table.

"I'd like four large pizzas, extra olives, extra..."

His mind tuned out the rest of her order. Peeking out from underneath her beige cap were long green bangs that almost reached her eyes, with two longer strands framing her pale face. He suddenly remembered another job he had to do.

His hand nervously reached for his phone, where he exited to the home menu. He was about to press the speed dial button, when the girl waved at him.

"Hey! Were you listening?"

"I-uh, yeah!" He stammered.

"You haven't told me how much it would cost, yet. Hurry it up, I have a tight schedule to keep."

"Um, alright! Here's your total..." He punched in several numbers into the register and was about to hit the call button on his phone when the girl shoved a large bill into his face.

He took the bill with one hand while another reached out for the phone. C.C. eyed his movements suspiciously.

"Who are you trying to call?"

"Um!" He choked and recoiled his hand, startled by this sudden question. "Just a friend."

"Ah. You seemed quite distracted while taking my order. A girlfriend perhaps?"

"No! I mean, yes. Wait, not really." He sounded even more flustered.

"Not really? Did you break up or something?" Something wasn't right here, but she couldn't quite tell what.

"Yeah...something like that. We broke up, yeah." He sounded unconvincing.

Lelouch could detect C.C.'s uneasiness, even from the back of the room. When she felt something wasn't right, something was definitely off. He looked in the direction of the cash registers and spotted C.C. The cashier looked nervous, his eyes darting between C.C. and something else Lelouch couldnt figure out. Yes, something was amiss.

The cashier's arm shot out and his finger touched the redial button.

Lelouch eyed the cashier suspiciously, studying his movements. His attention was no longer focused on C.C. Lelouch followed his gaze and realized he was staring out the front door, which was propped wide open. At this realization, he almost felt a breeze from the cool city air rush through the doorframe.

He was waiting for someone.

Lelouch rose swiftly, and closed the distance between him and C.C., who was yelling at the cashier to hurry up with her order and stop staring into space. He grabbed her arm gently but firmly.

She looked at him, confused. His expression was serious, and he only shook his head as a wordless explanation. She had seen that look before, particularly when they needed to leave quickly.

"We need to leave." C.C. understood.

She reached over the counter and snatched up the generous bill she had previously thrust into the man's face.

"Hey! Th-thieves!"

"Technically, our order was never placed, so I think this makes us even." She replied coldly.

"I'll call the police! Come back here at once!" He was yelling after them.

Lelouch was still tugging on her arm, beckoning for her to leave and quit wasting time. Once outside, his pace quickened, and he was nearly dragging the confused C.C. behind him.

"Hey! What's going on?" She asked, struggling to catch up to Lelouch, who had now broken out into a very un-Lelouch-like jog.

"We've been found. We have to leave now."

"How do you know that? And I didn't even get my pizza." She pouted.

"C.C.!" he hissed over his shoulder, "this is no time for jokes! That man was paid to contact someone once he saw us."

"What gave him away?" She asked curiously.

"Didn't you notice how distracted he was when he saw you? He called someone on his phone, and was trying to get us to stay there until they arrived."

She thought for a moment. "So let's say you're right, and someone has found us. Why isn't the media in an uproar? Certainly there would first be rumors before someone tried to actually find you."

"I don't know."

"Why did-?"

"I said I don't know!" He barked. C.C. jumped back slightly, startled by his outburst. Apparently, he too was startled by his own words.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do right now."

They continued running down the street before ducking into a narrow alleyway. It smelled of stale sweat and urine, most likely the den of some homeless person. Lelouch's nose crinkled as he poked his head around the corner, looking for anyone who might have followed them.

"Lovely spot you've picked, Lelouch." C.C. quipped. Lelouch merely scowled at her remark. She turned her attention to the walls which were marked by graffitti and pigeon droppings. This would be a fun place to stay for a while.

...

The pale celestial body that is the moon was beginning to make its appearance over the city skyline, serving as a gentle backlight for the massive skyscrapers that truly lived up to their names.

A slice of moonlight crept its way down the filth-ridden alley walls. Lelouch closed his phone that he had taken out at least a hundred times prior in order to check the time.

"I think it's safe to go out."

C.C. rose from her former position, arms stretching skyward like a cat swatting at a flying ball of yarn. Lelouch added another tally to the "Number of times I have compared C.C. to a cat" mental scoreboard he kept.

After further deliberation with the only person in the world he could actually deliberate with, he had decided to return to their hotel briefly in order to retrieve their items that would be essential for living underground, namely their limited yet hefty supply of cash.

The room was completely dark, save for the edges around the window the curtains had failed to cover. Lelouch felt uneasy, as did C.C., who reached a hand into her coat pocket. Her fingers lightly wraped themselves around the grip of the concealed pistol, index finger brushing against the trigger slightly.

The faint growl of car engines chugging along down the nearby street reached their ears. A clock that hung on the wall ticked down the seconds of the night, its clicks audible throughout the entire suite. Its hypnotic beat only added to the growing tension in the room.

He reached for the lightswitch but realized the lights were not working. He flipped the switch several times, to no avail. The lights were not going on anytime soon. Lelouch glanced over at C.C.

"You feel it too, then?" She asked Lelouch. He reached into his jacket pocket where he procured a pistol identical to C.C.'s. To his surprise, she placed a hand on the barrel of the weapon.

"Use the powers of the Code. Now would be a good time to practice." Lelouch hesitantly nodded, clicking the safety back on as he slipped the gun into one of his large front pockets.

He walked forward, each cautious step echoing through the rooms, seemingly multiplying infinitely in volume before finally returning to Lelouch's ears. His hand pressed against the door, where it swung forward on its creaky hinges.

A sudden splash of water shocked Lelouch, and every fiber in his body jumped in alarm. His heart began to race in a mad rush to deliver oxygen and unhealthy amounts of adrenaline throughout his system, heightenning his awareness of his surroundings.

The splash was actually not as loud as he thought it to be. The surrounding silence that served to amplify the disturbance, coupled with the thick tension in the room led to a very loud noise. He turned toward the area he had heard the splash and realized it was in the bathroom.

The pads of his feet met the bathroom tile with barely a sound, his meticulous movements paying off. Upon reaching the bathroom, he concluded that a leaky faucet was to blame for his near-heart attack. He breathed a sigh of relief, but the tension still remained as he attempted to restore light to the shadows in the room. The lights still would not return.

"C.C., check the fuse box. Try to reset all of the switches. It may solve our problem with the lights."

A soft click could be heard as C.C. located the fuse box panel and removed the cover. She flipped the switches back and forth, systematically going through each row.

Suddenly, the lights sprung back to life, and the shadows were hurled out of the room.

"Just a blown fuse, I bet." C.C. suggested as she replaced the cover on the fuse box panel.

A pair of familiar eyes stared at the two from underneath the bed.

...


	8. Chapter 8 - Monsters Under the Bed

...

Chapter 8 - Monsters Under the Bed

...

Lelouch was busy transferring bricks of cash from a suitcase into a duffel bag when he heard C.C. call from the bedroom.

"I can't find my Cheese-kun."

Inwardly, Lelouch rolled his eyes.

"Which one? You have so many I've begun to lose count."

"Well I've already lost count. It's the tiny one balancing a pizza box on its head. I got it the first year I moved in with you."

"So it's for sentimental value." He guessed.

He continued stuffing the duffel bag until he decided he couldn't fit much more without creating too obvious of a bulge in the fabric. It was also dangerous to consolidate all of his money in one location. "Putting all of your eggs in one basket," was the common phrase, he believed. He grabbed another duffel.

"You know I've never been sentimental, Lelouch. Part of my inhuman nature, I suppose." C.C. reminded him.

"You're still human, despite what you think."

C.C.'s heart jumped at his statement. She? Still human? She certainly had begun to feel more human recently, but to actually hear those words coming from Lelouch was a blessing to her. She had certainly desired to become human, though she now wondered if she had lost any of her human qualities in the first place.

"We can look for it later. Finish packing the priorities now." Lelouch ordered. C.C. was pulled out of her wishful thinking and returned to hunt for her Cheese-kun.

"You think I'm still human?"

Lelouch looked up from his packing. Normally, he would brush the question aside and urge her to simply hurry up so they could leave as soon as possible, but something felt different this time. He felt an overwhelming necessity to tell her what he really felt in regards to her questionable humanity.

C.C. anxiously waited for a response. She was hardly ever anxious, yet here she was, nervously waiting for word on what Lelouch actually thought of her.

"You seem human enough, though at times I have to question if that much is enough to consider you actually human." He phrased his words carefully, not wanting to offend the witch who was sensitive on this topic.

"Oh." She sounded somewhat disappointed.

Though they both could clearly remember their somewhat romantic encounter hours before Lelouch's first death at the hands of Zero, neither party seemed in any hurry to bring it up again. It was just like all of their other previous encounters; just an unintentional spur-of-the-moment action, they both thought.

"Have you tried looking under the bed?" He suggested.

"No, but I'll try that now."

"You didn't check there yet? How many places could it be? We're in a pretty small hotel room."

C.C. crouched down slowly, her knees coming to a rest on the scratchy carpet. She bent down, poking her head under the bed while holding up the sheets with one hand. She moved her other hand in a sweeping motion underneath the bed while patting the carpet underneath, feeling around for a fuzzy plush.

"AHH!" C.C.'s shriek grabbed hold of Lelouch's attention like a hangman's noose on a criminal's neck. He whirled around, stuffing a hand into his right pocket where he kept his pistol.

"There's someone-!"

Lelouch's eyes widened in shock as he ran over to the bed. What he saw made _him _want to crawl under the bed and hide.

The first hint was the distinct red hair. It was the hair of someone he hoped not to have to see ever again. She probably never wanted to see him again either. The second hint was the deceptively cute pink pouch clutched in the hand that was now scratching against the carpet, dragging a body behind it.

Kallen, now out from under the bed, stood up and brushed the dust off of her knees and shoulders. She ran a hand through her spiked red hair, scattering more dust that had clung to her while underneath a bed that had probably not been cleaned properly in years.

"I found your Cheese-kun."

Lelouch and C.C. watched open-mouthed as Kallen casually strolled over toward the bed-side table where she set down a small yellow plush. She looked at the two, first C.C., then Lelouch. Her eyes lit up, as if she suddenly remembered something. She walked over to the dumbfounded teen slowly.

The impact of Kallen's bare knuckles with his jaw sent Lelouch reeling.

"You BASTARD!"

Lelouch struggled to get to his feet, rubbing his sore jaw slowly. Kallen continued her menacing advance, and he found himself up against an unmoving wall.

"You little lying son-of-a-bitch! You...you're supposed to be dead!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." He responded darkly. Lelouch moved his tongue around in his mouth, tasting blood. Almost immediately, his dislocated jaw was starting to reset itself, thanks to his Code.

"Bastard! I saw you die! Why didn't you tell us you were alive? Do you have any idea of the mess you've caused? You...!"

Kallen wound up for another punch, but her arm was caught behind her back by C.C. She turned her head back, trying to see who had dared step between her and her prey, and realized exactly who it was.

"Stop!" At times, C.C.'s commands seemed more effective than Lelouch's Geass-issued orders, since she could make the same person obey her multiple times without having to reset her original order.

Kallen grudgingly lowered her fist, though her hand still remained clenched in a ball, ready to strike. Her eyes held a fire that danced about dangerously. Lelouch swore he could hear her teeth grinding together, even from this distance. Then in a surprising turn of events, she dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands.

"I...I thought you were dead." She sounded much weaker than her former threatenning self who had just delivered a punch that would have sent any ordinary man to the hospital with a broken jaw.

Lelouch placed a hand on his Ace's shoulder. "I'm still here."

After what seemed like an eternity, a much sharper voice reminded them there was a third person in the room. "So am I."

Lelouch and Kallen looked up at the witch from their current spot on the floor. Lelouch gave an awkward cough as he stood up.

"How did you find us?"

"I gave all the nearby Pizza Huts C.C.'s photo. I bribed them to tell me when you showed up again. I figured she would make regular visits."

"Did you bring any others with you?"

No sooner than C.C. asked, a masked figure strode through the doorway. His robe was a deep royal indigo, his helmet the shape of a king on Lelouch's favorite chess board. He was tall and menacing, though Lelouch was unafraid, fully aware of who lay behind the dark mask.

Zero looked from C.C. to Lelouch, keeping his gaze focused on the formerly-dead Emperor. He was his best and only friend, his greatest and worst enemy, the other half of their two-man army, and most importantly, he was supposed to be very _very_ dead. Quite obviously, he wasn't.

"Lelouch." Zero removed his helmet, the backside of the mask recessing with a hiss.

"Suzaku."

The helmet clattered to the floor, and Suzaku threw his arms around his long-lost friend.

"You...you died! I mean, I killed you!" He was repeating Kallen's words, though he was much more forgiving than she was.

"Yes, I died, but I have returned."

"It's not possible! How?"

Lelouch shook his head, parting from his friend's embrace. "I don't even fully understand it myself. What I do understand is that we have a world to set back into place."

Suzaku retrieved his mask which was now face-down on the carpeted floor. He pressed a button and the back panel slid back over his neck, securing the helmet.

"It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Suzaku."

"We have to go, now."

A woman in a black tactical catsuit stepped through the doorway, observing Lelouch. She seemed not the least bit surprised by the sight of the dead Emperor. Lelouch was alarmed when he saw the redness of an active Geass in the woman's eyes. He turned to C.C., who was obviously reaching for a weapon in her pocket.

"Please don't, I'm on your side. I told you, we have to get going, now!"

"Who the hell is she?" Lelouch demanded.

"A temporary ally." Suzaku answered. He seemed to relax a bit but was still on edge.

Mercury eyed Suzaku suspiciously, her stare delivering a clear message: "Don't forget our deal."

Suzaku nodded, sending a message in return: "I won't."

She reached into a bag and tossed Lelouch a Black Knights uniform. She pulled out a similar uniform for C.C.

"Put these on. You can't go back to the Black Knights without some form of a disguise."

"What about you? You're not wearing a Black Knights uniform either." Lelouch said, taking notice of her form-fitting suit. Mercury's eyes shot open at his statement.

To any other person, she would have looked like a Black Knight, her face partially covered by a dark visor meant to conceal its wearer's identity. In fact, she had changed her appearance multiple times upon entering the hotel.

In order to slip past the front desk, she had to appear as an employee who had just come back from a smoke break. Once she got into the elevator, she had to take on the form of a cleaning lady, in order to gain access to the master keycards that were used by maids to open any room. When she finally entered Lelouch's room, she had changed again into a Black Knight. But to Lelouch and C.C. who were immune to Geass, she was always wearing her tactical suit.

"So you can see me. You're a Code-bearer, then."

"So what if I am?" He questioned.

"Is she a Code-bearer too?" She gestured in C.C.'s direction.

"Why would you be surprised if we can see you?"

Glass shattered and Lelouch suddenly crumpled to the floor, blood pouring out of a bullet wound in the back of his head. The redness of his blood seeped through the fibers of the carpet and expanded in a circle around his body.

"Lelouch!" C.C. ran over to his unmoving body, dragging him behind a wall.

"Get down!" She yelled out. Kallen, Suzaku, and Mercury needed no further prompting when the entire window shattered as more bullets beat upon the glass.

C.C. held Lelouch's head in her lap, shaking his shoulders in an attempt to wake him. She knew he was alive and would return to her shortly, but she still couldn't stand the thought of him dying on her again. Especially with her new wish he was to fulfil.

Mercury had loaded a collapsable rifle and was attaching a scope onto the rail when C.C. suddenly stood up in front of the window, spreading her arms wide, blocking view of anything behind her.

"C.C.! What are-?"

"Go! Now!" She yelled at the three.

The others had just dove through the doorway to the hotel room when gunfire exploded behind them. C.C. dropped to the ground with a cry, clutching at various bullet wounds. A final bullet between her eyes silenced her. Her body collapsed on top of Lelouch's with a dull thud. Kallen scrambled to her feet, trying to run back into the room to retrieve the pair of immortals, but Zero stopped her.

"Leave them! They're fine! They know what they're doing."

Mercury grabbed her other arm, pulling Kallen to her feet. "He's right. They're immortal, we're not!"

Lelouch had just begun to open his eyes when the unconscious body of C.C. unceremoniously fell into his lap. He looked down in alarm, noticing her many wounds.

"C.C.!"

A bullet landed dangerously close to his shoulder. He looked up and realized the lights made any movement inside the room an easy target to take out. His eye latched onto a small yellow plush doll. A plan formulated in his lightning mind.

Kicking over the table caused the small Cheese-kun doll to fall to the floor at his feet. Using his legs, he brought the doll to his hands. He reached back, praying he would hit his target. The Cheese-kun flew through the air where it smashed into the lightswitch. Lelouch rejoiced as the room was plunged into darkness. Scooping up the bloodied body in his arms, he ran out of the room, and no bullets followed him.

...

"Hurry up! Pick up your legs and run like a man, dammit!" Kallen called over from inside the getaway car.

Lelouch was struggling to run out the lobby while carrying C.C.'s unmoving body in his arms. Kallen pushed open the door and scooted over in the back row of the five-seater sedan. Lelouch carefully slid over into the back seat, careful not to jostle C.C. too much. He slammed the door and Zero stomped on the gas.

"The streets are too slow. Get on the highway here."

Zero made the sharp turn and hit a curb in the process, jostling everyone in the car.

"Watch it!"

"Sorry!"

Zero changed into a higher gear and sped onto the on-ramp to the highway. A Britannian army recruitment poster loomed off the side of the highway, much to Zero's amusement.

"Who are they? The Dark Phoenixes?" Lelouch asked.

"Most likely." Mercury answered.

She had just finished adjusting her rifle scope when a dark van rear-ended them. It might have been pardoned, had they not immediately begun opening fire, threatening to kill.

"Shit!" Mercury leaned out of the window where she sent several rounds into the car behind them. The tailing car returned fire once more, the back window of the sedan smashing into a million shards. Kallen and Lelouch ducked, placing a hand over their heads. Lelouch leaned over and covered Kallen's body with his own, making sure she was not harmed by the gunmen behind them.

Lelouch pulled out his own pistol and checked the magazine. Reloading the weapon, he raised his head from behind the seat, only to be greeted by gunfire. He ducked back down immediately as the hail of bullets continued their onslaught on the back of the car.

"Move over, now!" Mercury shouted from the backseat.

"This guy won't let me merge...dammit!" Zero reported from the driver's seat.

Their sedan was now sandwiched inbetween a large big-rig on their right and the freeway divider on their left. A slow pickup truck blocked their front. With the sedan flanked on all sides, the dark van drew closer, pushing its engine to the max.

"Get down!"

The car shook as it was riddled with machine gun fire. Zero ducked down instinctively as a bullet whizzed past his head, embedding itself in the windshield in front of him.

"Brakes!"

"What? No!" Zero looked at the back row in alarm.

"I said hit the brakes, dammit!" Mercury barked out.

"You'd better know what you're doing!"

Zero cringed as he took his foot off of the gas and transferred to the brakes. The car's sudden deceleration hurled everyone forward, and Lelouch smashed his face into the headrest in front of him. In his panic to get into the car while carrying C.C., he had forgotten to secure his seat belt.

As the car screeched to a grinding halt, the van behind them had little to no time to slow down, and they crashed into the rear end of the sedan. The passengers of the sedan were now thrown back into their seats by the sudden collision.

The driver of the van behind them was angrily swatting away a pesky airbag that had inflated in front of his line of sight. The front end of the van crumpled like a wad of paper, though they still managed to chug along at a threatening speed.

However, the energy of the crash took more of a toll on the smaller sedan. With less overall mass than the truck, the collision caused more damage to the sedan than Mercury had anticipated. The back wheels were both sliced apart, air furiously hissing out of the gashes. Both vehicles were damaged, and the front bumper of the van had managed to meld itself to the rear bumper of the sedan. Locked in a death-embrace, both cars tried to shake the other off.

"That hit harder than expected..."

Mercury was rubbing at a swelling bump on her forehead, reaching into one of her dozens of pockets for what was presumably a medical kit. The jolts had probably aided in C.C.'s revival, as she was now slowly beginning to wake.

"Shake him!"

"I'm trying!"

Zero shook the steering wheel to the right, trying to scrape off their temporary attachment with another car. His attempts were unsuccessful, and machine gun fire clattered above the din of the freeway. He jerked the steering wheel to the left, but the van behind them mirrored their movements and was still stuck fast.

"Get into the right lane!"

Zero tugged against the comparatively massive van behind him. The effort was great, and they were now lined up in the right lane, next to the shoulder lane and sound wall.

"Can you drift?"

"What?!" Zero looked over at Mercury in alarm. "In theory, but I was never that reckless to try it..."

"Swerve right in three..."

The tires of both vehicles squealed against the freeway. Zero released the clutch and clicked the gear shift into place.

"two..."

Mercury changed magazines and yanked back on the bolt of her rifle.

"one...now!"

Zero spun the steering wheel to the right, tugging at it even when he did not feel anything budge. His arms strained against the wheel which was trying to return to its original position. He was certain he broke something after hearing a rather loud snap coming from the steering wheel.

Their sedan-van combination was now nearly perpendicular to the oncoming traffic, sending dozens of cars swerving around the massive wreck. Their forward inertia converting into rotational movement, the vehicles continued to turn about an axis that was located somewhere in the middle of the van's hood. The sedan and van were now reversed, facing the oncoming traffic head-on, much to everyone's horror.

"Hold on!"

"Gyah!"

The van caught on the sound wall that lay to the far right of the highway, effectively severing the two vehicles that were connected by a mangled piece of metal. The sedan continued to spin a whole one-hundred-eighty degrees, and they were now facing the correct direction on the highway, ramming into the van head-on.

The van driver looked into his rear-view mirrors in a panic, realizing he was being pushed backwards into the path of other vehicles. He spun his body around, trying to look out of the rear windows of the van while grasping at the steering wheel desperately. Mercury saw her window of opportunity.

She leaned out the window and fired more rounds into the car in front of theirs. One of her bullets met their target, disrupting the driver's brain matter. Both cars slowed to a halt in the shoulder lane. She looked up from her weapon's sights.

"Good shot." Lelouch complimented.

"Did you actually think I would miss at this range?"

At once, they all shielded their eyes as an intense white light flooded the car. They could hear the roar of a helicopter engine directly above them, its rapid blades chopping through the air, providing the lift that kept the massive vehicle afloat.

"This is the Britannian Police! Step out of the vehicle or we will open fire!"

Their firefight on the highway had drawn the attention of several passing cars, many of whom had alerted the police to the situation. Coupled with the gunfire at the hotel, the police solidified their suspicions and followed the sedan.

"Lelouch! Got any ideas?" Zero asked from the front seat.

Before he could answer, Mercury cut in. "Well we obviously can't get ourselves arrested, you most of all." She gestured to Lelouch, the supposedly dead Emperor.

The helicopter megaphone blared out another warning. "You there in the black sedan! You are in violation of Britannian vehicle laws! Step out of the car at-!"

Gunfire pelted the bullet-proof glass of the police chopper. The pilot pulled up and away in alarm.

"Fuck me! They have a machine gun!" The pilot cursed.

"Call for backup!" The gunner began loading special anti-vehicle rounds into the assault rifle.

"Echo 2-1 to base, requesting special Knightmare Frame backup, location South-Eastern freeway, a quarter-mile before Exit 51. We have armed personnel in a sedan heading north. They just opened fire on a dark van, then turned on us. Note that we may not have sufficient firepower to suppress the gunmen, over."

The crackle of the radio returned. "Base to Echo 2-1, request approved. Sending Knightmare Frame backup, E.T.A. two minutes."

"Let's keep 'em busy 'till the cavalry arrives!"

The gunner pushed open the sliding door on the side of the helicopter, pointing his rifle out the window. Taking aim, he fired on the sedan which was already covered with bullet holes.

"Dammit! Zero, go forward!"

"But the van! We're stuck!"

"Keep pushing!"

Zero shifted into low gear in an attempt to maximize the torque. He stepped on the gas, slowly pushing the crippled van backwards. The two good wheels of the sedan were spewing smoke as rubber burned against asphalt.

The helicopter paused its onslaught of bullets in order to reload magazines. The sedan continued to push forward against the van, but progress was minimal. The sedan tires were already in terrible condition, and damaged pieces of the van bumper that hung off served as anchors that held the van to the ground.

The muzzle of the assault rifle flashed a brilliant yellow every time a round was fired. The anti-vehicle rounds it spat out punched through the relatively thin sheet metal of the sedan, making the roof of the car akin to Swiss cheese. Inside, the passengers squirmed in their seats, trying to make their top-down profiles as small as possible to avoid being hit by bullets.

"Shit! They have a Knightmare!" Kallen cried out.

The blue and white Knightmare Frame was seen hanging from an airborne carrier, hovering dangerously close to the freeway. It severed its connections with the Knightmare and the massive armored robot landed in the shoulder lane directly in front of the van, bringing a halt to their already slow forward progress.

"Back up!"

Zero switched gears and sent the car flying in reverse. The destroyed rear wheels made reverse movements difficult however, and they were just as slow going backwards as they were going forwards. Mercury leaned out the window once more, emptying an entire magazine into the knee-joints of the Knightmare, hoping to slow its landspinner-powered advance. The bullets made little difference.

"Look out!"

The Knightmare leaped into the air, drawing an energized lance at the same time. It swung the blade down on the car, carving out a large chunk of the roof. Lelouch ducked and shielded C.C.'s body with his own as sparks rained down upon the passengers of the sedan. A robotic fist closed around one end of the roof of the car, preparing to tear it off.

"Now, Lelouch!" C.C. yelled.

Lelouch nodded. He reached one arm upwards, placing his palm on the cold steel of the Knightmare Frame's armor. He focused, channeling his shock images through the metal of the Knightmare where they came into contact with the pilot. Almost immediately, the hand jerked back, and the Knightmare pilot swung its lance about in a mad frenzy.

"Shit! What's going on down there?" The helicopter pilot asked the gunner.

"I don't- look out!"

The Knightmare suddenly hurled its powered lance at the helicopter where it barely missed the cockpit. But before the pilot could breathe a sigh of relief, the lance collided with the spinning helicopter blades, sending the chopper into a downward spiral.

Lelouch and the others could hear a deep rumble as the helicopter crashed into the ground, an explosion following soon after. Zero leaned back in his seat, removing his mask to wipe away his sweat.

"Not bad for your first time, Lelouch." C.C. quipped.

"I told you I wouldn't have to practice on you." He added. C.C. merely rolled her eyes.

"You would have done a much better job if you had practice."

"I still thought I did a good job."

"Could have been better." C.C. smirked.

"Better? How could that have been better?" Lelouch asked.

Kallen looked at the two in annoyance. "Are you guys really going to do this now?"

C.C. ignored her. "If you really were to do a good job, you would have been able to channel your energy through the car, and you wouldn't have needed to touch the Knightmare itself."

Even Mercury was beginning to become annoyed. "Can we discuss this later? I think we should leave now."

"I'm sorry for saving your life then." Lelouch grumbled, ignoring Mercury. "You should have lain off the pizza. You were a pain to carry to the car."

"Excuse you for not having any muscles!"

"Muscles? I was still able to carry you to the car, was I not? You're just heavy, that's all."

"Guys!"

Zero held his head in his hands, wondering what he was going to do with these two still alive.

...


	9. Chapter 9 - Austerlitz

...

A/N: Hi again, it's me! This chapter took a while because I'm well into school already. AP classes and such. Also, check out the poll on my profile page and vote if you want to see a rewrite of Amnesiacs Anonymous 1! The rewrite will erase pretty much all of the plot in the original AA1 except for main stuff like the Dark Phoenixes and the end right before AA2. Vote now!...

Chapter 9 - Austerlitz

...

Kallen led the troupe of prisoners through the halls of the Ikaruga II. Behind her was an armed guard, a large-caliber rifle in his hand. The visor pulled down over his eyes prevented anyone from directly identifying him. Behind the guard were two tall figures, handcuffed with bags over their heads.

In front of the entire procession walked Zero. This drew the attention of several passer-byers. Zero rarely personally oversaw the transport of prisoners from place to place. He might sit in on interrogations and miraculously convince the prisoner to spill all of their secrets, but to actually escort the prisoner was odd. Then again, Kallen, Ace Pilot of the Black Knights and Zero's most valuable ally was also there, personally leading the march.

"Open cells one and two." Kallen ordered.

"Yes, sir." The security guard on duty punched in a few buttons and the plexiglass doors slid open.

The prisoners shuffled into their respective cells where they slumped against the back wall. Though they could not see, they could hear the hissing of hydraulics closing the doors. A third door slid open and closed, and Kallen left the detention block.

"We have successfully captured two high-priority targets of the Dark Phoenixes." Zero began.

The senior members of the Black Knights all gathered around the conference table. Kallen sat closest to Zero, at his right hand. To Zero's left sat Tohdoh, his arms crossed as he leaned forward slightly on the arm rests of his chair. Ohgi sat further down, holding his chin in his hand, arms propped up on the table. Tamaki was in his usual position, arms clasped behind his head, feet kicked up as his body reclined.

"They were scientists directly involved with the production of custom Knightmare Frames as well as other advanced technologies the Phoenixes use."

"Do you mean those prototype models they used in the assault on Pendragon?" Ohgi asked.

"The very same." Zero confirmed.

"The Britannian military reported they've never seen anything like those Knightmares. It's said that some of their Knightmares could even cloak themselves and turn invisible!" Tohdoh mused.

"Invisible? Man, Zero, we've gotta get some of these for ourselves!" Tamaki exclaimed in his usual bombastic behavior. "Imagine how much ass we could kick in invisible Knightmares! I mean we could-"

"It was only a rumor..." Tohdoh mashed his face into his palms as he muttered in annoyance. Tamaki's excitement still did not seem to falter.

"What about their battleship? From the size of that thing, it had to come from some nation's military, right?" Kallen asked.

"I've had trouble contacting the other Areas' militaries, since the Black Knights are technically no longer part of the Britannian military." Zero explained.

The alarm blared suddenly, startling everyone out of their thoughts.

"Warning. Hull breach on deck 5. Oxygen level dropping. Depressurization in one minute." The computer said in much too monotone of a delivery to emphasize the potential danger the ship was in.

"What the hell?" Tamaki removed his unsightly feet from the polished wooden table. Zero stood up in alarm.

"Report to your stations! Dismissed!"

The Black Knights rose in unison and everyone scrambled to their respective places on various decks. Flipping his cape dramatically behind him, Zero gave a nod to Kallen as he left the conference room.

"Report!" Zero called out as he walked onto the bridge.

"Computer reports a hull breach on deck 5! Depressurization in less than a minute!" said one Black Knight sitting at a console.

"How?"

"Don't know, sir! One minute we're fine, the next, we have a giant hole in our side!"

"Helm, drop our altitude to five hundred feet, make sure our cloak is active. In the mean time, evacuate deck 5. We'll send a repair team down once we've dropped to a suitable altitude."

"Course laid in, altitude dropping."

Zero pushed a button on his communications panel. "Engineering, ready a repair team to go down to deck 5 and see what's wrong. Wait until we drop to 250 meters elevation, understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

On Deck 5, dozens of Black Knights personnel ran through the halls, some wearing oxygen masks. At the end of the hallway, two guards were frantically waving their arms to the evacuees, signalling for them to hurry up as a thick blast door was lowering to the floor. After a time, the two guards stopped their signalling and finally crawled through the closing gap created by the lowering blast door.

"Zero! Security reports Cells 1 and 2 are empty!"

"How did they escape?" Zero slammed down his fist on the armrest.

"The doors automatically open in the event of a deck depressurization. The prisoners have to be cl-"

"Nevermind that! Kallen! Lead a security team to find the prisoners."

"I've already found them."

Kallen was pointing a gun at the two prisoners who were now standing in front of the gaping hole in the side of the Ikaruga. She pulled back on the hammer with her thumb and fired two rounds into the wall next to them. They fled around the corner instantly at the sound of the gunshots.

"Kallen! Are you alright?" A small group of security officers reached Kallen.

"I'm fine, but they escaped."

"We're going to have to find them later. For now, clear the area so that the engineering team can fix the breach."

"No need to fix anything, Zero. Turns out it was just an open airlock." An engineer reported.

"An airlock?" Zero asked.

"Apparently." The engineer said. "But in order to open the airlock, you would have to pull the release latch from the inside..."

"Which means..." Zero paused.

"They had help." The engineer finished.

...

_"Three meters to the left of the port airlock is a control panel."_

She spotted the port airlock and moved to the left, finding the control panel. There were many buttons with various descriptions of their functions.

_"The emergency release latch is under the panel."_

She felt underneath the control panel and found the handle.

"Well this had better work." She muttered to herself before yanking on the handle.

Immediately, the airlock opened, the sudden depressurization nearly sucking her out into the atmosphere. With a window to the world opened, the wind creating a deafening whooshing noise similar to a jet engine.

"Warning. Hull breach on deck 5. Oxygen level dropping. Depressurization in one minute." The warning sounds erupted all throughout the ship.

Red lights danced along the corridors, warning everyone to evacuate. The rapidly dropping oxygen levels hardly bothered her, as her body was able to grab the remaining oxygen from the air with much more efficiency than any one with normal blood would.

She forced open the automatic doors held fast by the emergency lock-down procedures that accompanied a hull breach. Slipping inside the large room, she found the two prisoners.

"What took so long?" The prisoner in the left cell slowly stood up. Upon hearing the first prisoner's voice, the second began to stand as well.

"I don't need as much oxygen to survive, but the massive breeze from outside makes moving around a bit more bothersome."

"Now that you're here, hurrying up wouldn't kill you either." The first said crossly.

"She's right. The repair team would have found the airlock open as soon as they did a quick diagnostic of the ship. We need to be gone." The second added.

The woman pressed a few keys on the control panel, causing the two plexiglass doors to slide open.

"Well, quit talking and follow me!"

...

Mercury idly flipped her switchblade open and closed, twirling it around her fingers occasionally. She sat on the edge of the plush sofa she had quite recently shot at in an an attempt on Zero's life.

"I don't like being led around like a blind man." Lelouch grumbled. C.C. reached over and removed his handcuffs, allowing him to remove the bag placed over his head.

"Well we had to get you onboard the Ikaruga somehow, didn't we?" Mercury reminded him.

"Besides, now that we're actually looking for someone, the crew will think that we're hunting down the prisoners who escaped. They won't be looking for us, plus we'll have caught someone related to the Dark Phoenixes. That takes care of two problems." C.C. added.

"I still don't care for being shot at, either." The bullets Kallen had fired at them had barely missed his ear, and though he was immortal, he didn't enjoy the prospect of a metal point being forcibly driven through his skull, only to regenerate later with a massive headache.

"Are you going along on the mission? We could use some immortals in the Zero Squad." Kallen asked half-jokingly. She sat at Zero's desk, cleaning out one of her pistols. She took the brush and shoved it down the end of the barrel she had just removed. Twisting it from side to side loosened the build-up of dust, dirt, and other hindrances that would if left unchecked deter the path of any bullet fired from it.

Lelouch shook his head. "I'm much more useful watching from a distance. It's easier to be a tactician when I can see everything."

"I agree with Lelouch. Besides, his usefulness on the field is limited by his physical lack-of-prowess." C.C. taunted, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"As if you were in any better shape than me..." Lelouch rolled his eyes at his accomplice.

"And I am." she retorted.

"Says the pizza freak."

"Well someone has to spend your money, spoiled prince." was her sharp retort.

"That would be ex-Demon Emperor to you, gluttonous witch." he corrected her.

Kallen and Suzaku exchanged amused glances, then returned listening to the two immortals' banter.

"If one of you two has anything _useful_ to add to this discussion, please speak up now before I shoot one of you." Mercury interrupted, closing her knife definitively.

"That would be counter-productive." C.C. replied smartly. Mercury rolled her eyes and returned to twirling around her knife.

"Who is it we're going after?" Lelouch asked.

Mercury tossed a folder at him, which he barely managed to catch before it would have scattered papers all over his face. "Doctor Klaus Austerlitz. Assistant Britannian Research and Development Director. He's been working there since a.t.b. 1997."

"He works for the government?" Kallen asked, flipping through some pages.

"He's an in-between for the Dark Phoenixes and the Britannian government."

"You mean the government is working with the Phoenixes?" Suzaku asked incredulously.

"Not the entire government. The Phoenixes pay a hefty sum to anyone who wants to deliver research files to them. If you know the right people and have the right information, you can become a millionaire overnight." Mercury explained.

"So the corruption is contained to those who have contacts. That's comforting."

"For now, at least. It's only a matter of time before every government officer will have the right contacts and want in with the Phoenixes."

"Why him?" Lelouch asked. He turned to the next page in the file.

"He didn't just give them information. If you saw the kind of work he did with the military, you would've seen that this guy is a genius. The Phoenixes saw it and decided to recruit him. They gave him money, power, and resources to continue his research. He was also responsible for the creation of my team."

"He was the one who developed the Geass serum?" Suzaku asked.

"You want to know how he did it? We find him."

"If he works directly with the Phoenixes, he won't be easy to find."

"Suzaku is right." Lelouch confirmed. "From what this file says, he's a ghost. He has about a dozen different known home addresses, meaning we can't tell where he will stay next."

"Then how can we find him?" Kallen asked.

Lelouch spoke up. "You say he works with the government?" Mercury nodded. "Well he has to show up to work some days, doesn't he? With such a high position in the Research and Development division of the military, it would look suspicious if he never showed up to work." He paused, allowing his friends to soak in the information.

"He has a point." C.C. added.

"Where is his primary workplace?" Lelouch questioned.

Mercury answered, "None other than the Britannian Vanguard Research Facility."

Suzaku raised his eyebrows. "He works with Vanguard?"

That particular Research Facility was by far the largest and most technologically advanced laboratory complex in Britannia. Responsible for producing the first 1st generation Knightmare Frames, "Vanguard", as it was commonly known, skyrocketed to fame in the Britannian science community. Government grants flew in like migrating geese, and soon the small research facility had converted into the largest and grandest complex that would be seen in the many years to come of Britannia's military dominance.

"Austerlitz usually hangs around the restricted section of the facility."

Operating like its own small city, the complex was split into seven major branches: Bio-mechanics, automation software, aerospace development, advanced weapons research, prototype Knightmare Frame testing, Knightmare Frame production, and finally, the restricted sciences.

"What happens in the restricted science department?"

"Ever heard of aliens from outer space coming in flying saucers? Chances are, that was the restricted section testing a new plane. Ghosts appearing to people at night? They were probably testing portable cloaking devices. In the restricted area, people like me happen."

The restricted sciences section was to say the least, restricted. Anyone who came within fifty meters of the perimeter without an authorized escort could potentially be immediately arrested for suspicion of espionage and treason. Several watchtowers were strategically staggered along the fence that protected the restricted laboratories. Though there were few who had the privilege to set foot inside this holy of holies, let alone know what happened inside, many wondered if the guards were in place to keep visitors out or to keep the experiments in.

That is, if there was anything that wanted to escape in the first place.

Lelouch stood up and began pacing back and forth on the carpet. "We need a way of knowing when he'll show up to the complex"

"It's heavily guarded but there are a few weak points I know." Mercury said.

"How do the researchers get in?" Suzaku asked.

Mercury took a deep breath before delving into explanation. "At the perimeter, there are only walls as tall as football fields are long. No gates, just a vast expanse of concrete. No doors, just giant watchtowers with twenty-four-seven surveillance."

Kallen blinked hard at her. "How does that help us?"

Lelouch was scratching his head. "And you say this place is still functional?" Mercury nodded, making him grin. "It's simple. All the scientists and supplies are either transported by helicopter or by underground tunnels leading directly into the facility."

"That is our door." Mercury announced triumphantly.

A look of realization came over Suzaku. He attached his Zero mask which hissed shut as it secured itself. "Then we sneak in through the transports. We'll need some way to hide. I assume they will be searched thoroughly."

"It's possible, but it won't be easy, I'll give you that." Mercury said. "I've done it."

"You have?" Kallen asked.

"Of course I have. How do you think I worked for the Dark Phoenixes? They had to get me out of there somehow. Remember, the lab is government property, not the Dark Phoenixes'. Austerlitz just uses it and no one questions what he does. With his reputation, he can write off just about anything for transport and claim it's research."

"Do they check what's inside his transports?"

Mercury shook her head. "No, he would get far too angry. He doesn't trust anyone else to handle his equipment. Instead of making his research team load the transports, he does everything by himself. He didn't even want to lead a team in the first place."

Lelouch extended his arm dramatically. "Well then, it looks like his pride will be his downfall. Let's get on those transports."

...

Zero's private jet loomed above the clouds over the Tokyo Settlement. Its hawk-like wings were swept back against the length of the jet. The violet-accented tips contrasted with the deep black of the main body of the plane, slicing through the skies. Designed for Zero's personal use, it could hold its own in a firefight, long enough for backup to arrive.

The single Sakuradite Generator was large enough to power a small village for several days. Radiant Wave shielding protected the precious cargo inside, often leaders of the Black Knights, foreign diplomats, or even Zero himself. Hadron pulsars, miniaturized versions of its larger cousin, the Hadron cannon, were embedded throughout the sleek surface plane.

The manifest of today's flight included the formidable and elite Zero Squad, led by Zero. Kallen sat to his right, and further down sat Mercury in disguise to everyone around her.

"Approaching dropsite, distance to target is one kilometer." The pilot of the Zero Squad spoke into the radio.

"Ikaruga II to Zero Squad, be aware that a commercial airliner is headed toward your position, bearing two-five-three mark zero-zero-five. Recommend climbing to a higher altitude to avoid detection."

"Copy that, Ikaruga. Climbing by 200 meters."

The pilot adjusted the pitch of the jet, and soon they were climbing even further above the clouds. Below them, the pilot could make out the shadow of an airplane approaching their previous position.

Tamaki leaned over to Kallen. "Just like the good ol' days, huh? Raiding Britannian snobs for the good of Japan."

"Attention Zero Squad, our drop has been delayed by approximately five minutes. Remain on standby."

"Damn..." he turned in his seat, disappointed and impatient.

Britannian Airlines, flight 4900 cruised along at a comfortable speed. Had the pilot or co-pilot looked up from the cockpit window, they would have been greeted with by the underbelly of the infamous plane often piloted by Zero. Instead, they kept plodding along on their course, unaware of the events that were about to take place.

"Ikaruga to Zero Squad, the airliner has passed. You are free to drop to your previous altitude."

"Noted, Ikaruga, dropping altitude."

The nose dipped in front of the rest of the plane, gently lowering the formidable plane closer to the surface of the city. The pilot identified the building he was supposed to fly to. It sat proudly on the edge of the water, overlooking the rest of the buildings in its vicinity. Once they were hovering above the building, the pilot flicked on the hover mode toggle switch, locking in their altitude.

The building they hovered over was one of the secondary laboratories used by Britannia. The transports were scheduled to be sent to Vanguard, the Zero Squad's true destination. They would have to infiltrate the building from the top-down, passing dozens of floors worth of guards and scientists.

Zero stood up, adjusting his helmet. "Zero Squad, prepare for air-drop. Remember, pull your chutes as late as possible. There may or may not be rooftop surveillance, so be discreet in your entrance. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"This is your captain speaking. Zero Squad, we are in position to air-drop. Good luck."

The airlock doors between the cockpit and the cabin slid shut, separating the rooms.

"Oxygen helmets!" Zero announced. Each member attached their helmets for skydiving. From this altitude, it would be quite a long time before any of them could breathe oxygen normally. Their helmets compensated for this fact, producing oxygen long enough for them to reach the rooftop. They also served as communication earpieces, since it was virtually impossible to hear anything over the roar of the rushing wind while skydiving.

"Activate transmitters." Each member of the Zero Squad punched a button on their belts, causing a faint green light to flicker. The transmitters would allow the pilot to monitor each individual Knight's trajectory, making sure they would land on the building instead of glancing off the sides. They would also allow Lelouch and his tactical mind to plan various strategies once they were inside the building.

"Captain, we're ready." Zero told the pilot.

The captain's voice crackled over the P.A. system. The wind made it extremely difficult to hear, not to mention the poor quality of the speakers. "Roger that, Zero. Long live Japan! Long live the Black Knights!"

The metal floor of the cabin scraped back with a harsh bang and the Zero Squad plummeted toward the earth below.

...

"There's no way off of this roof. We both know that."

The man heard his pursuer's words, yet continued to slowly inch toward the edge of the roof. He kept glancing nervously behind him, estimating the remaining paces he could take before he was balancing on the edge of the worn-down concrete.

"Give me your transmitter."

"Stay away from me!"

The other man paid no heed to his words as he continued to advance toward the retreating man. The pistol in his hand was still casually pointed forward.

"You can either give it to me and remove it yourself, or you can have me remove it for you. I might not know how to properly remove it, so it might hurt a bit more." He pointed at the device embedded in the retreating man's wrist.

He held his arm which hung limp at his side, red viscous fluid running down his forearm, where it dripped off of his finger tips. He felt lightheaded from losing so much blood, though it was not really blood he was losing. He could still remember the searing pain that shot through his arm as a bullet meant for his heart missed, passing through his shoulder instead.

He backed up another step, but his foot did not meet ground. He flailed frantically as he tried to regain his balance on the edge of the roof. Another step would have him plummeting down the 50-story skyscraper to his death. His head suddenly spun, though from his discovery of his height or from loss of blood he did not know.

"Don't take another step forward!" His voice was really starting to lose control.

"Oh-ho! Why don't you make me?"

His hand suddenly went behind his head, fumbling with the knot that secured the eyepatch to his left eye. But his fingers seemed to only tighten the knot further. Giving up, he used brute strength to tear the patch away from his face, revealing a Geass that shone in his eye.

"I said stay back!" He roared.

His eye shone and spun with the activation of his Geass, but almost immediately it returned to its natural hazel state without having made any effects on his pursuer. The other man simply sighed.

"I would, but this is my job. I do need to make a living, don't I?" He held up and waved a small device in his hand that resembled a cell phone. On the screen resided a blue upside-down symbol of the Geass Order, a mockery of the Power of the King.

"What the hell is that?" The bleeding man tried to activate his Geass, only to have it fail again.

"Never seen one before, have you? We started working on one even before your little band decided to defect. It's called a Geass Canceler."

"You mean the Gottwald device?" His speech was starting to slur, and he had trouble focusing his eyes.

"So you have heard of it! Yes, the Gottwald device was its other name. But that was a mere prototype. We decided it was better to have a hand-held device instead of mounting it to someone's face and replacing their eye. Surgery can be so unpleasant at times." He spoke airily, as one who believes himself to be more intelligent than all of the other _uncivilized_ creatures he finds himself surrounded by.

"You wanna talk about painful surgery? How about my Geass transfusion? That was pretty unpleasant!" He spat out. Perhaps such exertion was not such a good idea, because another wave of dizziness suddenly swept over him.

"You used us! All of us!"

"Oh, do stop complaining. We gave you what you wanted, didn't we? We gave you power. Not a common power, either. A rare power, usually granted to those who make life-binding contracts with those who practice black magic. We gave you power without its contracts. Limitless power."

"Well then, by all means, take it back!"

He drew a pistol with his other arm, but he was clumsy in his execution. He was unable to draw with his dominant hand, which blood now dripped off of.

His adversary saw the move coming from a mile away and quickly disarmed him, sending the pistol clattering off the roof. He grabbed the man's injured arm and twisted painfully upwards, resulting in a shrill scream of agony. He flipped him over his back, pinning the bleeding man to the ground. A hypodermic needle appeared in his hand.

"This could have been much easier."

The needle went straight into the man's neck, causing him to relax instantly. Next, he produced a curious device, consisting of a needle that was attached to a long tube. The tube connected into what looked like a pistol, but a clear vial that jutted out the side made it clear it was not. He inserted the needle into the man and pulled the trigger, and the device began to draw blood into the small vial. Once it was filled, he disconnected his apparatus and removed the vial carefully.

He lifted up the man's limp wrist and grabbed the transmitting device, plugging it into a small computer. An image of a map showed on the screen, with several blinking dots spread over Area 11. Clicking on one zoomed in on its location, listing exact coordinates. He quickly memorized the information, then closed his computer and left soundlessly. The Geass user lay unmoving on the rooftop.

He would later wake to find he had no recollection of his past.

...


	10. Chapter 10 - Phantom Knightmare

...

A/N: Greetings everyone! 20 days since the last update, longer than I planned, but so is the chapter. I'm getting back into my habit of non-stop writing, which I really wish could exist for my English class. Anyway, be sure to check out the poll on my profile about Amnesiacs Anonymous. Happy reading!

...

Chapter 10 - Phantom Knightmare

...

His long overcoat swished and rustled with each step he took. His dark gray hair was tied back in a long braid that went past his shoulders. He wore oval-rimmed glasses that he seemed to constantly be pushing further up his nose. He walked with his shoulders rolled back, a display of confidence and purpose in his stride.

The cool night breeze may have been a blessing to some, though to him, it only interfered with his mission. Colder air meant denser air, which also meant more wind for a bullet to travel through. With rifling, the bullet would spin upon exiting the barrel, lessening the severity of wind interference, much like a football.

Not only was the air cold, but it was windy. At higher altitudes, the wind traveled faster because of the way currents flowed. Forced into a smaller space, air would rush faster over tall buildings than it would at ground level. To any experienced rifleman, the simple factor of wind resistance would have been easy to compensate for, were his target on an equal altitude as he. However, nothing in life was easy, and that included taking another life. He was on top of a windy roof, while she was walking along the streets at ground level.

Gravity was also another important factor. Gravity would accelerate the bullet downwards, creating the need for further adjustment. His target lay just outside of the tolerance level where he did not need to make major adjustments for gravity. Since the bullet travels at such a high velocity, acceleration would not have as much of an effect on an object that has only a few split seconds of air time. Since his target was so far away, gravity would have a much stronger effect on the path of the bullet. It would be bothersome to adjust.

But he was a professional. And professionals took their time.

He lay flat on his belly on a rooftop, feeling the rough and ungiving concrete underneath him. He rested his cheek against the cold steel of the stock of his rifle, now warmed by his body heat. The bipod at the front of the rifle scraped softly against the surface on which he lay. With every deep breath, he could see fog form before his eyes, hot air condensing into steam upon contact with the chilly atmosphere. He kept one eye behind the scope of his rifle, the other closed.

His transmitter had led him here, though technically, not his own transmitter. He had taken the other Geass user's transmitter and had used it to track down the remaining members of the renegade team. This is where it had led him: to a small hotel in the heart of the Tokyo Settlement. There was no style or pattern to his killing, just a list of names and their respective locations he had to terminate. Other than the order of the list he was given, he did not care who was first or who was last. Neither did his employers. All they cared was that the list was completed without mistake. And he doesn't make mistakes.

His target suddenly disappeared out of view. How had he lost her when she was walking through the middle of an empty street? Then it occurred to him.

"Ah, yes. She must be shape-shifter."

He kept his eyes trained on the entrance of the hotel, waiting for her to reappear. Though this would probably be futile, since she would definitely not show her true form while walking past the lobby attendants. No, he would have to go in there himself and use the Geass Canceller to reveal her to him.

He was packing away his rifle when a curious sight caught his eye. In the window of one of the rooms, he could clearly see a young girl with bright green hair, no older than seventeen, walk in front of the window. Not far behind her stood a tall boy with raven-black hair and piercing violet eyes. The two bore a striking resemblance to Lelouch vi Britannia, former Emperor of the throne, and his strange green-haired mistress. Too striking to be coincidental.

"No...it couldn't be..."

The girl turned around and said something inaudible to the boy. He could see the movements of her mouth, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. Whatever the boy's response was, the girl immediately began digging under the bed, stopping and jumping up suddenly. Another figure crawled out from under the bed. She also bore a striking resemblance to Kallen Kozuki, the infamous Ace Pilot of the Black Knights, Zero's own right hand.

"What the hell is happening in there?"

In walked Zero. That person was distinct. The mask was there, his robes were in place, his royal sabre sheathed, it seemed like Zero. He suddenly removed his mask, revealing a brown-haired teenager. He removed his mask! In the presence of the supposedly dead Emperor! Though whoever looked like the dead emperor didn't seem to be the least bit frightened by the sight of his former murderer.

A fourth person entered the picture, but she looked like a Black Knight. However, he knew better than to just believe with his eyes. Something about her wasn't right, for example, she did not seem frightened or surprised that the Dead Demon Emperor was now the Live Demon Emperor. She didn't seem surprised that Zero removed his mask, or that Zero was a teenage boy.

He would have to take all of them out. They were at least two confirmed leaders of the Black Knights, Zero and Kallen. The third Black Knight looked suspicious and might have been another high-ranking officer, but it was equally possible she was the shapeshifter. Then there was the matter of the "dead" emperor and his mistress.

The Dark Phoenixes had not informed him that the supposedly dead emperor would be present, nor did they mention any potential appearances from Zero or his followers.

He trained his sights on Zero's mask, carefully observing the digital wind gauge mounted to the barrel of his rifle. The gyrometer gave him the angle at which his rifle tilted downwards, and he adjusted accordingly. Sucking in all the air he could hold, he waited in between heartbeats, then pulled the trigger.

The former emperor's head suddenly appeared in front of Zero's mask, and he fell with the shards of glass the bullet had smashed through upon impact with the window. He cursed to himself loudly. The occupants of the room were now running about wildly. He switched his rifle into automatic mode and began showering lead into the hotel room, destroying what little remained of the window. Suddenly, the emperor's mistress stood and spread her arms in front of the window, blocking view of all else behind her.

"What the...? Move...!" he grumbled to himself, wishing the girl who now obstructed his view of the room could move.

He fired several rounds toward the window, dropping her body immediately. But it was too late: anyone who was in that room was definitely gone by now. The jarring yellow light that came from the room was gone, replaced by the blackness of night.

"Dammit...I can't let them get away so easily!"

Already, he could see a dark sedan pull up to the hotel as a man carried a bleeding woman into the car. Aiming at the trunk of the car, he fired a special round that latched onto the metal and began broadcasting a traceable signal. It was a tracking dart that would allow him to find the car anywhere within the radius of ten kilometers.

He removed the long suppressor on his rifle and clicked on the safety in the process. He folded up the bipod and removed the various weather sensors attached to the rifle. All of this he vigorously stuffed into a padded case which he then slung over his shoulder. He swished his dark knee-length overcoat behind him as he threw open the door that would take him down the stairwell.

A dozen floors later, he arrived at ground level, where he found his vehicle, a black van. The door popped open with a click and he haphazardly threw his bag into the passenger's seat beside him. Hurriedly turning on the ignition, he screeched out of the garage onto the streets where he found the blinking red dot that represented the getaway car. Catching sight of the flashing dot on his map, he made a quick deduction. Based on their current path, they were making their way to the closest entrance onto the freeway. He assessed his map and barely had time to make the sharp turn that would significantly cut down the distance between the two vehicles. He jumped into a higher gear and sped through a red light, earning him several honks and loud obscenities from other drivers who nearly hit him.

The dark sedan now lay in front of him, barely recognizable by the small tracking dart stuck to its trunk. He felt for a knob behind the steering wheel and turned clockwise several times. The steering wheel came loose and lowered, where it rested on his knees. The lower position of the steering wheel meant his knees could now be used to direct the car. This was dangerous, but something he was trained to do and was quite familiar with already. His hands now free, he reached over into the seat next to him and retrieved his rifle, hastily jamming in a magazine in the process.

Another car, probably driven by a drunken driver, swerved into and out of his lane, causing the cars in front of him to slow down. However, he was preoccupied with readying his weapon and did not slow down in time to avoid hitting the sedan he was trailing. With a crunch and a thud, he rear-ended the sedan, alerting its passengers of his presence. He swore softly as the car now tried to speed ahead and lose its pursuer.

His weapon now ready, he leaned out of his window and unleashed a hailstorm of bullets into the car in front of him. The glass shattered to a million shards upon the passengers of the sedan. He could see the silhouettes of the people in the car duck behind the sturdier portion of the rear end of the car. The driver was obviously quite shaken up as the vehicle began to swerve side to side within its lane, sending other cars speeding in the other direction.

Suddenly his own windshield was pelted by angry bullets seeking to pierce the reinforced glass that stood only a few feet in front of him. Their individual thuds echoed throughout the large van, making it sound like a hailstorm. He instinctively ducked and dropping his rifle into his lap, took the wheel with both hands. The windshield was starting to crack, forming an ominous white line that started from one end and stretched its deadly fingers to the other.

Screeching tires could be heard above the din of the freeway and he felt himself being thrown forward out of his seat as his van collided with the trunk of the dark sedan. An airbag erupted in his face, sending him back into his seat. Unfortunately, it also blocked much of his vision and greatly reduced his control over his weapon. He grumbled and flicked out a knife, slicing through the bag and swatting it aside. After the disturbance had been cleared, he realized his vehicle was stuck fast to the other. He fought against the directions of the other driver, trying to his vehicle in the opposite direction of their collective movements. He realized he was now in the far right lane, approaching the shoulder. In a blur of speeding tail lights and the chaos of honking horns, he was now pointed in the direction of the oncoming traffic, the sedan now in front of him. Too late did he see the woman in the passenger's seat lean out and fire two rounds; one shattered the window and the other shattered his skull. His lifeless body slumped lower in its seat.

A helicopter whirred overhead, and the sedan began to push the van backwards before it gave up and backed away as a police Knightmare dropped out of the sky. Several moments later, the Knightmare hurled its lance at the helicopter, crippling it. The sedan continued its original path onto the freeway where it disappeared amongst the multitudes of other cars.

The man sitting in the van opened his eyes to the sight of a broken windshield splattered with blood. A small device attached to the back of his neck was still blinking, sending red flashes throughout the darkness of the van. He reached an aching arm behind his neck and pressed a small button, which was actually a release latch, ejecting a small vial into his hand. The vial was empty, as it had been recently drained, and he reached into his black bag where he opened a small black box, the inside lined with a high-density impact-resistant foam. His eyebrow raised upon finding that the case was empty, probably used up on his last mission. He sighed to himself, realizing he would have to return back to base to resupply his stock.

Several cars were beginning to pull over into the shoulder lane behind the battered van, probably to see if anyone was still alive in the wreckage. He gathered his belongings and left the van, walking around to the back. Careful of the oncoming traffic, he slid the van door open and pulled out a small motorcycle. He kicked it into action and sped onto the freeway, leaving the van behind.

...

Kallen squinted down at the massive expanse of the ocean and a small square, barely visible to the naked eye. That was their landing structure. The frigid air whooshing past her body made her thankful for the special skydiving suits Rakshata had designed. Recreational skydiving never reached altitudes where there was immediate danger of hypothermia, but this was a military operation, not a vacation excursion. The glass covering her helmet immediately began to fog, caused by the difference in outside temperature with her body heat. The fog began to dissipate as the environmental controls kicked in, and her vision cleared. Her radio crackled to life.

"Q-1, you are straying off course. Adjust bearing by two degrees port."

"Copy that."

She adjusted the main fin on the back of her skydiving suit, turning her path back on course. The customized suits Rakshata had designed had an integrated steering system that consisted of several strategically placed fins that would redirect airflow around the wearer. It was possible to change the course of the wearer by a full 180 degrees in just a few moments, if the right fins were turned. The downside to this was its high sensitivity to movement. The slightest movements would alter her path by only a few degrees, but the incredible distance to her target would magnify the error to a point where she could potentially land in the building five blocks down. She could see a small V-formation of seagulls and prayed she would not hit any on the way down. Even a small seagull to the face while speeding toward the earth could be fatal.

"This is K-1, 2000 meters to target." The voice crackled with the whoosh of the wind around him.

"2000 meters." The pilot of the jet affirmed.

Mercury was squinting through the fog that was forming on the surface of her visor. It blurred everything that lay within her limited peripheral vision. She reached up a hand to wipe it away, but she was suddenly jerked to the side by her movements. She gritted her teeth at her foolishness and readjusted her steering fin to direct her back onto the right path.

Her radio hissed to life again. "R-1, you are div-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" She cut the pilot off and glared through her helmet. "I thought these were anti-fog..." she grumbled to herself.

"1500 meters."

"Copy that, 1500 meters."

Zero shot towards the surface of the building. He felt slightly bare without his majestic cloak that usually flapped about wildly behind him with every step he took. The general consensus was that the cloak would not only reduce visibility for those behind him, but it would provide too much air resistance, making steering an even more difficult chore. Even his mask was modified to allow for a more aerodynamic shape. It still bore the trademark purple one-way glass, but the general shape had ended up more rounded.

"1000 meters."

"Zero Squad, you are approaching your target too fast. Deploy first-stage chutes."

"Roger that. Deploying!"

Mercury was the first to yank the cord embedded into the parachute she wore on her back. Almost instantly, a blue fabric unfurled and inflated with the air. Kallen was next, her body flipping rightside-up, causing her head to spin. She shook it off quickly. One by one, the other members of the Zero Squad pulled their chutes, gently floating down to the rooftop. The only one left who had not pulled his chute was Zero.

"Zero, you need to pull your chute. You're still accelerating." the captain warned.

"Ngh! It's jammed!" Zero called out.

Kallen watched in horror as Zero began to spin mid-air, struggling with his parachute. He was heading toward the building way too fast to be considered safe. She could hear his grunts of frustration over the radio as he continued to tug on the rope that would release his parachute.

"Zero, use the secondary release tab!"

"I'm trying!"

Up in the Ikaruga, Lelouch and C.C. listened in on the radio feed wide-eyed. Zero was still struggling to pull his chute which seemed too stubborn to give in. Lelouch stood up and grabbed a Britannian pistol that sat on Zero's desk. C.C. looked at him with questioning eyes. "Where do you think you're going?"

"If he misses the building on purpose, there's a chance I can fly down there in a Knightmare and grab him before he crashes."

"You mean you're going to try to intercept him as he's in free-fall?" C.C. asked dubiously.

"I don't have any other choice!"

"You could be seen! You'll foil the entire operation!"

"There's no time to argue! I need to go now, or else he could die!" With that, Lelouch placed a Black Knight's visor over his face and ran out the door to the hangar bay. C.C. followed suit.

"Why are you coming with me?" Lelouch cast a glance over his shoulder at the girl who followed behind him.

"You should really learn to stop asking why I'm following you and just appreciate the company." C.C. said as she shook her head and climbed into the Knightmare frame after Lelouch.

"Zero, you need to pull your chute!"

"I'm trying, dammit! It's stuck!" Zero responded angrily.

C.C. engaged a private channel with Zero's com link. "Zero, this is C.C. Realign your stabilizers. You need to redirect fifty meters to the right."

"Fifty meters? That would mean missing the building entirely!"

"500 meters to target." the captain warned.

"Do as I say! And try to hold still."

Suddenly, a Phantom-class Knightmare flew past the Zero Squad. Their parachutes now open, they watched in disbelief as the prototype Knightmare swooped down toward the free-falling Zero. Using his stabilizing fins, he barely managed to pull away from the surface of the building, now plummeting down the side.

"Zero has adjusted course, 800 meters to ground level-What the-! We've got an unidentified Knightmare on approach! It looks like a Phantom class, registry PX-04. It's one of ours! Pilot, identify yourself!" the captain shouted out.

"Hold still..." Lelouch clenched his teeth as his targeting system attempted to lock onto Zero's signal. His display inside the Phantom flashed wildly as it made rapid calculations and adjustments to its intercept course. His fingers danced across the multiple keyboards spread in front of him.

"Are you talking about me or Zero?" C.C. questioned. She was sitting in an uncomfortable position in his lap. This Knightmare, though more advanced than its predecessors, did not have the luxury of the two-seated Shinkiro. As a result, she had to squeeze into the cockpit with Lelouch, landing in his lap as a final position.

"Both." he replied, annoyed.

The Phantom class was a prototype designed specifically for air-to-air combat, its features streamlined to allow for greater speed and mobility. It was one of the first hybrid Knightmare frames that had the ability to reconfigure its hull into a plane-like structure that gave it much needed speed in skirmishes. It also sported multiple energy wings on all of its limbs, no longer restricted to just a back-mounted float system.

A mechanical hand stretched out toward the falling figure and closed its fingers around Zero's body. Lelouch retracted the arm as he breathed a sigh of relief, but jumped in astonishment as he realized he had missed. Zero had slipped through the fingers of the Knightmare's grasp and was still falling without his parachute.

"Phantom-4! You are on an intercept course with Zero. Identify yourself or we will open fire!"

Lelouch looked uneasily at C.C. They obviously could not reveal their identities under any circumstances, but if their Knightmare were attacked, there was a high chance that Zero would he injured in the proceeding explosions. These Black Knights really couldn't plan tactics without Lelouch, C.C. thought to herself. Was it not obvious the danger they would be putting Zero in if they opened fire upon a Knightmare in such close proximity to him? Lelouch shook his head and decided to take his chances by not responding.

"Zero Squad to Ikaruga, we have a rogue Knightmare on intercept course for Zero. They are not responding. Reccomend we use deadly force. Deploy Viking Squad to dispatch the threat, over." Lelouch could hear the captain on his intercom.

"This is the Ikaruga, request for deadly force approved. Sending the Vikings." the Ikaruga responded back.

"400 meters to ground level."

"This is Viking leader, we have targets locked on the unidentified Phantom class.

"These bastards really are going to try and kill us, even if Zero dies with us!" Lelouch exclaimed, pounding his fist on the keyboard.

"Roger that, Viking leader. You have authorization to engage and destroy."

"This is Viking-Two, missiles away."

"Dammit!"

He reached for the throttle, but C.C. grabbed his arm.

"C.C.! What are you doing?" he asked bewildered.

"If we increase our speed too much, we have less time to successfully grab Suzaku."

"It's either that or we get ourselves killed along with him." he said, noting the small dot on their radar that represented an approaching missile. "We have to try!"

Lelouch grabbed hold of the throttle and pushed forward, accelerating towards Zero. The homing missile screamed angrily behind them, fiery gas spewing out of the propulsion system. Lelouch glared at the Knightmare screen, reaching out the Phantom's hand toward Zero. He stretched as far as the machine would let him, and suddenly the lights surrounding the display in the cockpit went green. Lelouch abruptly closed the fingers and caught Zero with a sigh of relief. At the same time however, the missile was getting approaching close to the Knightmare.

"Now that we caught him, getting rid of that missile would be a good idea." C.C. suggested.

"Right."

Though they were pointed straight at the ground, Lelouch punched the throttle forward even more and sped ahead of the missile. Executing a few well-timed commands, the Knightmare spun and flipped on the spot, flying backwards while facing the missile head-on. Lelouch drew the Phantom's anti-air rifle and locked onto the missile, firing a single round. It caught the missile dead-center and detonated it mid-air. Flipping on the spot again, he pulled out of the 5G dive by spreading the Phantom's wings as wide as possible. The four Knightmares of the Viking Squad followed in a hot pursuit, each of them pulling out of the dive at the same time Lelouch did. They were making their ascent when a shot from one of the Viking's artillery cannons blew apart one of their wings. Luckily, the Phantom class Knightmare was equipped with multiple wings on each of its limbs, allowing for compensation in situations such as these.

"Watch it, Lelouch!" C.C. exclaimed, ducking instinctively.

"It's harder to evade while carrying a dead weight here!"

"Next time, could we do that without the sub-sonic dive? My head feels funny." Lelouch heard Zero gripe.

Another shot exploded right above the Phantom, and Zero could be heard shouting out in pain.

"Suzaku! What happened?"

"Shrapnel!"

The Vikings fired their boosters and were beginning to gain on the rogue Knightmare when it suddenly shot upwards toward the Ikaruga. The Vikings' maneuverability was far outclassed by the new Phantom's, and they struggled to climb as quickly as the prototype Knightmare.

"Ikaruga, be advised that the rogue Knightmare is approaching your position."

"Very well, Viking Leader. We'll take that under consideration."

"What do we do, Lelouch? We can't kill them, but we can't be captured either." C.C. asked.

"We'll just have to cripple them." Lelouch responded.

The Phantom Knightmare touched down on the surface of the Ikaruga, located high above the clouds. The sky was a bright blue, which sharply contrasted the blood red upper deck of the Ikaruga II. Lelouch gently placed lowered Zero to the ground, who limped from a large piece of metal sticking out of his leg. The four members of the Viking Squad all touched down soon after, surrounding the lone Knightmare. Each Viking drew a revolving sword in their right hand and a Radiant Wave shield with the left. The Phantom Knightmare drew a single anti-air cannon. The Vikings activated their revolving swords and slammed the ends into the hull of the Ikaruga in unison, resulting in an ominous clang.

The Phantom Knightmare, though more advanced than the Viking class Knightmares, was designed primarily for air combat. On the ground, most of its upgraded features would be useless, such as its G-force dampeners and its air-to-air missiles. Lelouch was an exceptional pilot due to his tactical abilities, but his advantage was limited by sheer numbers. Four to one fights were not his strong suit, especially when these four were elite fighters he had a personal hand in training. They learned to think how he thought, which could become confusing if Lelouch tried to guess what they were thinking.

"Surrender Zero to us now, or we will destroy you!" the Viking leader announced over its external speakers.

"Zero needs medical attention! Stand down and help him to the medical bay." Lelouch called out.

"Why should we take orders from you?" one of the Vikings sneered.

"You shouldn't. But it is in your best interest to save Zero's life, is it not?" Lelouch countered. The leader finally nodded to the Viking on the left of the Phantom. He scooped up Zero in one hand and left for the medical bay.

"There. Now, to find out just who the hell you are!"

The Viking leader raised his lance, but Lelouch loaded his cannon and fired two rounds at him. The Viking's Radiant Wave shield went up instantly, deflecting the rounds, but in the instant his vision was obscured by the shield, the Phantom was on top of him. He pushed aside the Phantom with his shield as another Viking swooped in for the kill as Lelouch had his back turned. Suddenly, the Phantom did a backflip into the sky where he hovered for a moment before charging straight down at the Viking who attempted to tackle him from behind.

Lelouch lifted the Viking off the ground and flung it into the third approaching Knightmare. The third Viking swiftly dodged the massive projectile and swung his lance toward the Phantom. Lelouch fired several rounds at the Viking, who sliced the shells to bits, where they exploded behind him. The Viking leader jumped into the air, where he brought his revolving sword down upon the Phantom class. Lelouch side-stepped and shot the lance out of his hand, causing the Viking to jump back. He raised his hand, now just a stub of smoking metal, and split his Radiant Wave shield in half angrily. Mounting half of the shield to each arm, or remaining arm, he formed improvised blades that jutted out of his wrists. The leader threw several jabs at the Phantom's torso, all of which were dodged.

Lelouch jumped back and grabbed hold of the revolving sword which lay in the ground. Another sword thrust at his midsection by the previously thrown Viking was barely blocked as he activated the revolving sword and swung downward, parrying the thrust. Grasping the sword with more force, he swung down on the Viking's arm, also disabling its dominant arm. The Viking was so surprised that he forgot to dodge the swipe that came at his legs. The Knightmare sank to its knees before collapsing on the upper deck of the Ikaruga.

Suddenly a pair of hands were clutched around the Phantom's cockpit. Lelouch grunted and reversed the thrusters which sent his Knightmare flying backwards into the Viking behind him. Lelouch pressed the anti-air cannon into the head of the Knightmare behind him and pulled the trigger, ripping apart the sheet metal that formed the shell of the Knightmare. The cockpit was exposed to the sky, and the pilot ejected immediately.

A Radiant Wave shield found its way through the torso of the Phantom. Lelouch was distracted by watching to make sure the pilot of the previously destroyed Viking floated to safety. The Viking Leader had managed to surprise Lelouch and took his opportunity. The Phantom class Knightmare was now impaled on the Viking Leader's improvised weapon, much in the same way Lelouch found himself at the sharp end of his own sword on the noon of the Zero Requiem. _Deja vu_, he thought.

"Rgh! I can't move!" Lelouch hissed.

"Perhaps you should not have watched the pilot eject to safety." C.C. recommended.

"So who are you? I guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves."

The Viking leader took a mighty swing at the cockpit and chopped off the top, revealing the two figures inside. One had the distinct lime colored hair of Zero's skulking partner, while the other looked like the formerly dead emperor of Britannia. Any conclusions he was about to jump to would be erased as his mind was overridden with shock and pain. White flooded his vision and he slipped into unconsciousness.

"That...was too close." C.C. commented.

"Why are you worried? I'm the one who is supposed to be dead." Lelouch responded with a raised eyebrow. He removed his hand from the shell of his open cockpit. Just as the pilot of the Viking sliced off the top of the cockpit, he channeled his shock images through the frames of their Knightmares. C.C. wasn't even sure if it would work, since the most either of them had attempted was direct contact with the enemy Knightmare. Apparently, Lelouch possessed more control over his shock images than he thought.

...

"Hold still! We need to clean the wound first, otherwise it could become infected." one of the doctors told Zero, who was now behaving like a small child who did not like to get shots.

Zero winced as they removed the large shrapnel chunk from his leg. A few dark spurts of blood spewed from the wound. They dabbed hydrogen peroxide, a sterilizing agent, on the wound. One of the doctors wrapped a bandage tightly around his leg. He felt his cell phone vibrating, and he quickly dismissed the room of doctors and nurses.

"Lelouch, what were you thinking? If someone saw you..." he began.

"Don't worry about me. Focus on recovering. C.C. and I are going to lead the team into the research facility. Besides, Kallen was right. Being immortal does have its perks."

Suzaku laughed sheepishly. "Fine then. Just be careful. Not everyone is immortal like you."

"Right."

As he hung up, the PA system called to the sick bay. "Zero! Viking-2 reports a Phantom-class Knightmare just exploded mid-air! It was flying off of the Ikaruga when it burst into flames and exploded! It's the same one that caught you after your parachute failed. Whoever was inside must have been killed!"

Suzaku grinned to himself. "Not likely," he thought.

Under the smoking rubble that still hung mid-air, one might barely be able to see the two parachute-equipped figures who were in free-fall, pointed toward a certain research building.

...


End file.
